The Three Arrogant Alphas
by believer76
Summary: Spencer encounters trouble on his way home from the bookstore. Will he survive?
1. Chapter 1

The Three Arrogant Alphas

Part 1

Present

Emily opened the door to the interrogation room with a folder under her arm and slammed it behind her causing the three Alphas within to jump, though they did their best to hide it. They eyed the female before them and could tell that she was beyond pissed. In fact, if she'd had lasers for eyes they would have been incinerated on the spot.

"Did you really think that you could attack an FBI agent, one of your own and get away with it?" Emily inquired. "Did you really believe, that no one would care that you attacked someone who had never done you any harm?"

"Why would anyone care? He's just a walking dictionary," one of the Alphas said arrogantly.

"Yeah, he doesn't belong in the FBI," said another not realizing that he was digging himself even deeper into trouble, but then that was his arrogance talking.

"Well apparently, you are that arrogant," Emily said shaking her head, slamming the folder she was carrying down on the table. causing the three alphas to jump again. "You have made a major mistake and it's going to cost you your lives gentleman. Not only is Dr. Spencer Reid an excellent member of the BAU apparently, you didn't bother to do your research, because Dr. Reid is not only under the protection of the families of Hotchner, Gideon and Rossi, but he's also under the protection of the family of Prentiss, namely myself. Do you really believe that Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi would have bothered to put him under their families protection if all they thought of him was as a walking dictionary?"

The three Alphas gulped at this not having realized that the man they had resented for over a decade was under four very powerful families protection.

"My mother and father alone could make your lives a living hell, considering that Spencer is their son-in-law," Emily told them opening the folder in front of her and forcing the three Alphas to look at the pictures of her mate's injuries. "He nearly coded on the table, but the doctor managed to pull him back. I can see you don't feel the least guilty for what you did. You still believe that he doesn't deserve to live and yet you don't know a damn thing about him, not really. What you did goes against every law we have and also some of the human ones, which deep down I'm sure you know, but like a lot of Alphas you refuse to admit that what you did was wrong."

All three Alphas were now mortally afraid for their futures because not only would they be thrown out of the FBI for this, they'd be lucky to survive past the next 24 hours.

"You would have left our children without a father," Emily said, as she slammed a fist down on the metal table so hard that it actually shook, a not easy feat to accomplish considering that it was pretty heavy and also bolted to the floor.

"Spencer has told me all about how three cadets he was in the same class with resented the hell out of him, because of the fact that he wasn't what you considered your typical FBI agent and he didn't make it any easier when he beat you in every exam that he took. Also, I know his age was also a factor when it came to you resenting him, as that just gave you another reason to hate him. The only reason I'm not demanding custody of you so I can dispose of you myself is Spencer begged me not to. He wants you to go to prison for a very long time, so that you might actually survive and learn a lesson. If it wasn't for his request I would be demanding true justice. You knew what would likely happen if you attacked someone with no provocation," Emily told them with such fire filling her eyes, that the other Alphas felt as if they had been burned to a crisp.

"We were drunk," one of the Alpha almost pleaded, even though it went against an Alpha's nature.

"And you think that excuses you?" Emily asked in a tone of voice that could cut glass and made the three Alpha's quake again. Emily shoved the pictures of Spencer's injuries at the three Alphas again. "No, all it did was lower your inhibitions to allow you to release your hate and resentment, emotions that have no basis in fact. Just because you don't think he belongs in the FBI, doesn't make that true, as he does good work. You truly believed that just because he was so young when he decided to join the FBI and because he was so intelligent and not that athletic that you had every reason to hate and resent him. So what if he's not an Alpha male? Not every agent in the FBI is. You three would make perfect criminals because you certainly have a disregard for other people's feelings and attacked a man who had never done you any harm. Of course, I'm well aware my mate's not the only one you hate so much as you hate anybody who works hard to get promoted or at least you resent the hell out of them, especially if they are an Omega and not an Alpha."

The three Alphas protested, but Emily glared at them so fiercely that they fell silent. "I nearly lost the man I love due to your actions, but you apparently believe that there should be no consequences just because you think that my mate doesn't belong in the FBI, even though he's proven again and again that he belongs here. Did you even bother to look up his record, how many cases he's helped solve? How many consults he's done where the police managed to catch the unsub they were after? Of course not, because you didn't even consider the fact that he would have been shifted to another department, possibly even be forced to leave if he didn't do his job. Dr. Reid is an invaluable member of the team and you should know both David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner at least by reputation and that neither one of them would ever have allowed Reid to continue to be part of the unit if he didn't do what was required of him."

The three Alpha looked at each other then and knew they had made a major mistake that would cost them their lives. They hadn't considered that Spencer Reid had anybody who would miss him other than those he worked with and they had figured that his teammates wouldn't work too hard to solve the case and that they would be glad to be rid of him. They had just been so arrogant and sure they were right that when they had encountered Reid on his way to the subway, from the bookstore he had been at, they had seen it as a perfect opportunity to get rid of a thorn in their sides. They had been sure that nobody would miss him, and when his body was discovered nobody would care enough to truly work to find the perpetrators. They had been so sure that whatever agents had been assigned to the case would make it look good, but wouldn't work too hard at discovering who was behind their enemy's death.

Really though, enemy was too strong a word, for while there had been a few encounters over the years, really, Spencer had always been polite to them, even if it was clear he'd rather be elsewhere. He had taken their bullying at the Academy with nerves of steel and never reported them. They had believed that that he had been to afraid to, but really, they hadn't considered the fact, that he didn't want to be seen as a tattletale for telling on other cadets or agents. All of them had been in their early 30s when they had joined the FBI and had had other careers before that decision was made, so they had considered Spencer Reid a young upstart, someone who didn't belong, as he was only 21 when he first came to the Academy recommended by Jason Gideon.

They had done everything in their power to get the much younger man to quit, but Spencer had taken their bullying without saying a word to anyone, and they had grudgingly respected him for that, which didn't mean that they didn't still resent the hell out of him.

That resentment and hate had no basis in fact, but because of their actions they were likely to be dead within the next few days, and it wouldn't matter that all of them had families for they had committed the crime.

It was suicide to go after an Omega that was so well connected, but they hadn't known that their supposed enemy was not only mated to a powerful Alpha from a powerful family, but under the protection of three other very powerful families.

"Spencer has a broken wrist with several broken fingers, both hands, a broken arm in three different places, a broken leg, several cracked ribs, multiple contusions, internal injuries and several deep cuts likely from a Swiss army knife, though the forensics hasn't come back on that yet," Emily told them listing her mate's injuries. "Care to tell me what forensics is going to find?"

None of this other three in the room answered, because they knew that anything they said would just make their situation worse, even if they didn't think that was possible.

"Well, it doesn't matter forensics will come back in a couple of days and then we'll know. Forensics is doing a rush job since he is an FBI agent, in other words gentlemen he's one of our own something you didn't consider when you decided to attack him. Spencer's well able to defend himself, Morgan made sure that, but he couldn't have possibly fought off three people at the same time, three Alphas who were much stronger than he is, so of course, he came out the worst," said Emily her tone icy, so icy in fact that the three Alphas felt as if they had icicles forming on their extremities.

"I might have agreed to Spencer's request, but that doesn't mean that Hotch and Dave did for that matter," Emily added grinning evilly, as the three Alpha sitting across from her gulped visibly. "They are veeerrrry protective of someone they consider family. Morgan wants a piece of you to, even if Spencer is not under his family's protection, because he considers my mate a little brother. He made sure I was aware of what he would do to me if I hurt the man he considers part of his family, even if he doesn't come from a powerful one. You don't want to know what these three men want to do to you. I'll be able to honestly tell Spencer that I didn't have anything to do with your fates. I admit I could try to stop it, but I know I won't succeed, so why bother? After all, if you went to prison it is possible to escape as it has happened before or you could simply come after my family after you are released at the end of your sentence, so why take the chance?"

The three Alphas then knew that it didn't matter if they had families they were not going to live past the next few days and it was all their faults, as they were the ones that had ganged up on one man, just because they still resented the hell out of him for beating then in every exam, showing his intelligence, for being allowed to join the Academy so young, but most of all for being pulled into the most prestigious unit right off the bat, even over a decade later. They had considered it showing off, even if that's not the way Reid had intended it to be perceived. They had believed, in their arrogance that someone who was merely an Omega and therefore weak in their opinions, as being a member of the FBI an organization full of Alpha males, especially not when they learned that he was being pulled directly into the most prestigious unit that the Bureau had. Learning that someone they considered a weakling was going to be pulled into the BAU due to Jason Gideon pulling some strings or at least that had been the rumor had sent their resentment into the stratosphere.

"If you had made our twin daughters lose their father you wouldn't like what I would have done to you, so you better be glad that if Hotch, Rossi and Morgan kill you, it will at least be quicker then what I would have done," Emily told them bluntly. "It took me over 30 years to find someone I could settle down with, be happy with, and you nearly took that from me and if you had your fate would be far worse then what they are currently.

"But what about our families," one Alpha weakly protested and was about to say more when Emily glared at him so fiercely he snapped his mouth closed.

"Unlike you I'm an honorable person so your families will be taken care of. Of course, you didn't consider that Spencer might have a family did you, when you decided it was a good idea to assault him? No, I can see you did not," Emily said after studying them. "You thought no one would want such a geek or a walking dictionary as you called him. You didn't bother to look at his right wrist or to both his hands as he wears three rings and a cuff style bracelet. One of the rings has the Rossi coat of arms on it, one has the Gideon and the other one the Hotchner and as for the bracelet, well, it has symbols on it that if you had bothered to look it would have told you that he was under the protection of the Prentiss family and that he was the mate of one of them. If you had only bothered to do your research you would have known that Spence along with Penelope Garcia the team's technical analyst and Jennifer Jareau are registered as being under their protection and that Spencer is also registered as being under my protection as well since he is my mate."

It was a normal thing to register an Omega, as under a powerful families protection, whether that was financially, by reputation or both, so that if people did a background check that would show up and they would know better than to attack someone who was not only wealthy but extremely well-connected. Of course, it still happened just like it had with the three Alphas who were trying to hide their fear from her, either because someone didn't bother to do their research or at least a background check or because they believed they would never be caught. Unfortunately, not every Omega had the kind of protection that her mate was under, so there was still plenty of Alphas that felt they could get away with murder and unfortunately, sometimes they did, but a lot of times they were caught unless they were very, very clever. Sometimes they only gravely injured another Omega or someone who was human, so that they often learned who had assaulted that person as soon as as they could talk to the one that had been attacked.

Alphas and Omegas were just like humans and sometimes they didn't think about the consequences of their actions, but unlike humans, there were much harsher laws put in place for someone who attacked another's mate.

"As I said, your families will be looked after and we'll make sure that they have enough to support themselves and their children, which is more than you would have done for Spencer's family considering you didn't even bother to find out if he had one. I suspect the reason you didn't bother to do a background check or any research is you knew deep down that you were in the wrong and he had done nothing to deserve what you did to him, but your own arrogance and hubris made you believe that you were in the right, so you ignored your consciouses that were probably trying to get your attention. They were likely trying to tell you that what you were going to do was wrong, but with so much alcohol in your systems I'm not surprised that they were ignored if that's what happened."

The three male Alphas sat there saying nothing and Emily simply studied them before finally rising to her feet.

"The team will be informing your mates what happened to their husbands and if they've been taught the laws of our race then they will know that what you did was wrong and you are getting what you deserve," Emily told them.

"Of course, if you treated your mates how you treated Spencer, just because you thought he was a know-it-all, someone who didn't belong in the FBI, and deserved what he got then I'm sure they'll be glad to get rid of you, especially if they are omegas" Emily added, as she headed for the door of the interrogation room. "Thanks to your actions your children will grow up without fathers. Unless, of course, your wives decide to marry again in a few years."

There would be no trial for it was obvious the three Alphas were as guilty as sin and the laws of Alpha's and Omega's was very harsh for a reason. Of course, the human government also had to go along with it or their race would have rebelled, because there were some thing's that they wouldn't put up with that the humans would. Some things were simply unacceptable and one of those was going after another person's mate whether Alpha or Omega, whether that was to try to steal them from their mate, or because they wanted revenge. Of course, if there had been a genuine wrong done to someone then it was a different thing altogether, but in this instance Spencer had done nothing to warrant being attacked so brutally.

Their species believed in an eye for an eyes and a tooth for a tooth mentality, particularly the Alphas, but a lot of times one of their kind wanted revenge for no other reason then they had started to at least dislike someone else, even if that person had done nothing to warrant it. Also a lot of times someone had something that another wanted, whether that was an object or a person and in that way they were very similar to humankind. In this case, she was perfectly within her rights to execute all three of these Alphas, brutally and painfully herself and take as much time as she wanted at the task, because from all the team could find out about the three Alphas and about Spencer himself he had done nothing to deserve what had happened to him to be attacked when he was on his way home from Barnes & Nobles.

Those three Alphas had let hate and resentment fester for over a decade before they had finally met again and it had all come to a head, just because the three idiots were way over the legal limit. Of course, it still might have eventually happened, but perhaps, not if Spencer hadn't encountered them while he had been heading for the subway. Emily knew that Spencer would have tried to remind them of the consequences of what would happen to them if they attacked him for no reason, but with as drunk as the three had been they of course hadn't listened.

Really, resenting and hating someone for no reason other then jealousy was an age old emotion, ever since neanderthals had been bonking each other on the head to steal something someone else wanted, whether that was somebody else's woman, a stick of burning fire or simply an object that one of them had found and decided to collect.

Emily said nothing else and simply headed for the door opening it before walking through and closing it behind her.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

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	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

"They're all yours boys," Emily told Morgan, Hotch and Rossi. "Feel free to torture them as little or as much as you want, as you saw all the injuries that Spencer now has to deal with, but I don't need to know the details so I can honestly say that I had no idea this was going to happen when he asks and you know he will."

All three men that were standing in front of the two-way mirror looking at the three unsubs grinned evilly at her causing Emily to laugh.

"We'll be happy to," Morgan said as he hit the palm of his hand with his fist, looking rather vindictive.

"Yes, we will," Dave agreed, as he smirked looking at the three Alphas through the two-way mirror. "Unfortunately, I've seen this kind of thing before where an agent resents the hell out of another for whatever reason and so goes out of their way to make their life hell. I admit it's usually an Alpha, whether male or female that resents somebody who has a quieter personality, who they feel doesn't belong, just because they're more intelligent just for example."

"We all know they'll multiple reasons why someone hates another and that's not just true for our kind, but humans as well," Aaron added.

"While that's true those three made a major mistake attacking my mate," Emily said grinning maliciously. "We all know that he nearly coded on the table."

Emily nearly sobbed when she remembered that, but managed to control herself at the last moment.

"Which is why we are going to be very harsh with them," Aaron promised putting an arm around Emily's shoulders in a gesture of comfort.

"Yes, we will," Dave agreed. "We have every right considering that he's registered as under all three of ours protection, as well as Gideon's, which those three idiots in there didn't bother to find out before they decided to attack him. I've already talked to the higher-ups and they've agreed to release them into mine and Aaron's custody. We promise you, that we'll make them pay, before they're finally put to death."

"Well, thank you," Emily said relaxing. "I was afraid the higher-ups wouldn't see it our way since the director is human."

"The director is aware of the law in this matter," Aaron reminded Emily gently. "We have enough proof and several witness that even he couldn't deny the fact that the three in the interrogation room were responsible for Reid's injuries. This isn't one of those situations where we just suspect they are responsible, we know they are, so you can see Director Schwindt had no choice, but to give into our wishes. We could cause a lot of trouble for him if we cared to and he knew it."

"Also, this isn't some unsub that pretty boy was chasing, so it didn't happen in the course of his job," Morgan added. "If it had it would be a different situation altogether."

"You know if Director Schwindt hadn't agreed your mother would've made him anyway, as she has a great deal of influence and I would've added mine to hers," Dave said.

"Yes, that's true. She does know the president and he owes her several favors," Emily agreed. "The president could have ordered the FBI to turn them over for punishment and Director Schwindt would've had no choice then, but I'd rather it not go that far and that we take care of the situation ourselves."

"You know Spencer is going to be rather upset with you for doing it this way," JJ said, as she came into the room where the three of them were standing.

"I know," Emily sighed. "When he asks I'll be honest with him and I'm sure he'll be mad for awhile, but if he was thinking straight he would also know logically that this is the right course of action, because Alphas like them have escaped from prison before. I mean look at Ian Doyle. I was the one that got enough evidence to put him in prison and when he found out I was still alive he managed to escape to come after me and I very nearly lost my life and I wasn't married at the time, didn't have a family, something I will do anything to protect. Putting an international arms dealer in prison, one who was also an alpha, was the way Interpol wanted to do things, but of course, Interpol at the time was run by humans, who didn't believe in the death penalty, not even for somebody like Ian Doyle. Besides, if you ask me prisons everywhere are overcrowded with the worst of humanity including a few of our kind that don't do well behind bars."

"I know this," JJ admitted, as she came to stand beside her mate, one Aaron Hotchner. "I'm not saying that I don't understand what you're doing here, but then, I was raised properly while Spence was not."

"Which was in no way his fault," Emily immediately said.

"Of course not," JJ agreed. "I didn't mean it was his fault, I just meant he and possibly his sister weren't raised in our laws and tradition thanks to his father who left when Spencer was young. It's up to a male figure to explain certain things to their sons and we all know it. I know that Diana Reid did the best she could, but there are some things that only a man can tell their sons, so it's no wonder he's confused about how he should act in certain situations. That situation might have been corrected a few years ago thanks to Aaron, but he didn't grow up learning the lessons he should have been taught."

"That's why certain things are taught to boys by the time they hit 7 or 8," Dave said. "Reid didn't have those lessons taught to him like he should have, because the father left before he hit puberty which always happens around then, so even though he knows what is supposed to happen those lessons aren't as ingrained as they should be into his personality."

"He understands what has to happen deep down and that his request that you just let them go to prison instead of dealing with it appropriately, he 'has to know' that it's never going to happen," said Aaron. "I'm sure he'll be upset for awhile, but he'll come to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do in the end. People like those three have been known to go after a person's family if they are not killed permanently. It's happened often enough in the past that it is now part of our laws that we are allowed to get rid of someone who has committed such a great offense against someone who had done nothing to them. Beating someone in an exam, being too intelligent or being pulled directly into the most prestigious unit of the FBI when it's never happened before are not legit reasons to go after someone, no matter what that someone believes. I know very well that some people can resent someone whose on the fast track to success, which is definitely true in Spencer's case."

"I'm sure you heard that they truly believed that no one would care if Spencer turned up dead," Emily growled, looking ready to go postal on someone. "They truly thought that no one, even his own teammates, would investigate too deeply into his murder because they considered him a non-entity, unimportant. Someone who was annoying, but who didn't have any friends, not even supposedly his own team members."

"And they'll die because of it," Morgan promised, but since Dave and Aaron nodded in agreement Emily was assured that there would be no future problems from the three in the interrogation room.

"Don't worry anymore Emily," Dave promised. "The situation will be taken care of and the three of us will make sure that they suffer first. I know that none of us are mated to him, but we still care about him a great deal."

"He's family, it's as simple as that," JJ said simply.

"Yes, he's family," Aaron agreed with the beautiful woman that was his mate. "He's like a son to me, just as you're like a daughter," Aaron added looking at Emily.

"I know," Emily said. "I appreciate your support in this, all four of you."

"What happened went against every law we have. It even goes against some human laws," said Morgan. "We all know that a lot of times human law enforcement would not agree with us and want to give the three in the interrogation room just a few years in prison for such a vicious, personal assault, an assault that Spencer had done nothing to deserve. Now, while there is no guarantee they would survive their prison stint Alphas are usually pretty tough, although not always I know. I'm just saying that the odds of them surviving the time they get in prison and then coming to look for revenge is very good, so it's better to go ahead and deal with the problem, then risk one or both of your daughters or yourself getting hurt."

"I can take care of myself," Emily said, but still she mostly agreed with what Morgan had said.

"Of course you can, but if all three of them attacked at once like they did Spencer the odds of you not getting hurt are astronomical," JJ reminded her friend. "Against one attacker or even two you can handle yourself, but three or more..."

"Alright, you've made your point," Emily conceded. "It would depend heavily on the odds, luck, where I was at the time and if it was a defensible position. I know I'm in excellent shape, but even I can't take on three or more attackers at the same time, especially if I didn't want to use my gun and they might get in a lucky shot. How I'm going to explain to Spencer I went against his wishes though I don't know."

"Well, once he's able to clearly think again when he's not on heavy drugs for pain, I'm sure he'll see your point of view," Aaron suggested. "If he doesn't I'll explain it to him. I'll make sure he understands that it wasn't your decision and that you were in no way involved, as I'd rather him be mad at me, Dave and Morgan then at you."

"Yes, I agree with that, because you are his mate and he could wreck your relationship if he stays mad at you for to long, even when you're just doing what you're supposed to to protect him and your daughters," Morgan said. "I would do anything necessary to protect my family, and though my baby girl doesn't like that particular aspect of our society she knows it's necessary sometimes. Besides, she loves Reid too and thinks of him at least as a nephew or perhaps, a little brother just like I do, so in this case, she'll agree with our actions."

"But then, we have to consider that Penelope Garcia was raised properly while Spencer was not," Emily pointed out. "She might not like some of the violence inherent in our society, but knows in some cases if we don't respond appropriately then that will likely just make things worse in the long run. She was raised from earliest childhood to know that certain actions have to be taken if certain situations ever popped up like it did in this case. What Aimes, Mandell and and Keating did went against everything our society stands for. They attacked an innocent man that had never done them the slightest bit of harm or harmed anybody in their families. So what if he showed off his intelligence at the Academy and so what if he was pulled directly into the BAU, that was no reason to let their resentment fester for over a decade until it finally came to a head. Alright, being pulled into our unit without doing time in another first is rather unusual, but still..."

"I'm sure they would've found another reason to resent him until an attack still happened at some point, even if he had served somewhere else first," JJ said. "Keating, Mandell and Aimes are the type of people that don't really need a reason to resent or hate others and if you look at their files this is born out as they have several censures in it for treating others like dirt, harassing them or at least making inappropriate comments. I'm sure you can guess that every single time it was an Omega or a human who didn't like to make waves that they harassed. These are the type of agents that don't believe that Omegas belong in the FBI at all, not even someplace that doesn't see much action like the white-collar crime or the cyber crime unit. Those units don't see much action out in the field or if they do the unsubs aren't as likely to turn violent."

"Have you ever had to put up with something like that?" Aaron questioned, knowing that his mate might not have told him if some agent made inappropriate remarks or tried to harass her, but then again, JJ could take care of herself Omega or not. On the other hand, normally, Spencer could to and if those Alphas hadn't been as drunk as tinkers it was likely the confrontation never would have accelerated into Spencer ending up in the hospital.

"Just several comments and believe me I let them know were inappropriate," JJ said. "It was mostly humans before you ask, humans that don't pay attention to our traditions laws or customs for the most part, because our species that work in this building know better. I simply told them that they kept up with inappropriate remarks I would tell you and let you deal with the situation, as you have a strong enough reputation that they knew that they wouldn't like it if you had to deal with them. I also informed them that they didn't want to make any inappropriate comments considering that I was mated to another, as that would be the same as sexual harassment and I would report them to the appropriate department. Don't worry so much you know I would've come to you with anything I thought I couldn't handle and those kind of comments go through the workplace all the time. Mostly I just ignore it, unless they get persistent."

"Alright," Aaron said inwardly relieved, now that he knew JJ would bring anything serious to his attention.

"They were loose cannons," JJ added returning to the previous subject.

"I agree, as I've read their files," Aaron said, accepting the change in subject. "This would've happened eventually, even if it was with someone else and the same thing likely would've happened, so at least they would've been fired depending on who it was they attacked. As JJ said, they were loose cannons and resented anybody who got promoted over them in whatever department they were in at the time. They've been in about every department in the FBI, except the BAU, which tells me they were trouble for any head of department, enough anyway, that they were transferred often, usually after only a few months. The three of them were never kept together in the same department, but they still remained friends due to the time they spent at the Academy together."

"Perhaps, if they had never met and found each other to be kindred spirits, this never would have happened," Emily said. "The three of them seem to bring out the worst in each other, so it's quite possible if they had never met in the first place that this never would've happened. I'm not claiming that one of them wouldn't have resented Spencer until it turned to hate, but it's unlikely that they ever would've attacked him, because usually people like that prefer overwhelming numbers. I know Spencer could've handled one of them, maybe even two, but three would be too much for most people to handle on their own when they all ganged up on him at the same time, especially if you didn't want to draw your firearm, because you might have hit a civilian depending on where you were at the time. They might've been drunk, and therefore, their punches might not have been as coordinated as they could be, but it only takes one lucky shot to take someone down."

"It doesn't matter if it did and the three of us will deal with it appropriately," Dave said.

"Alright then, I trust you take care of it," Emily said kissing Dave on the cheek in thanks. "Thank you in advance for doing this, so that I don't have to deal with it. Oh, don't get me wrong, I would love to deal with them myself, but I don't need Spencer madder at me then he's likely to already be. I can't even really punish him for being mad at me, because he's already hurt enough and his recovery is going to take quite some time."

"A month at least maybe a little longer," Morgan agreed. "I know Spencer is going to come to his senses and stop being mad at you for doing what you knew was right, once he realizes how bored he's going to be for the next few weeks. I mean he won't even be able to play with his daughters very easily, because of his injuries and that will upset him far more than what we're going to do to Keating, Aimes and Mandell."

"You know that's a good point," Emily said surprised she hadn't thought of it, but then again, her mind had been on other things. "Once he realizes that he can't do a lot of things he used to, playing with his daughters, reading to them and so forth he's going to be furious. Normally, when he's injured, he's not injured so badly that he can't at least hold his daughters, but with a broken wrist and several broken fingers on both hands he won't be doing any reading for awhile or picking up the twins to sit them on his lap. Probably all he's going to be able to do is sit and watch TV or something or have somebody read to him."

"Oh, that's going to be hard on him," Morgan said soberly. "We all know how much he loves to read for pleasure as well as just to absorb information. To not be able to read to my goddaughters is going to be very hard on him."

Emily groaned at that because she knew he was going to have to put up with her mate's rather grumpy attitude, not that she would be able to blame him considering. "He's going to be extremely grumpy for the next few weeks," Emily explained and the other four people in the room all who nodded knowing she was right.

"You can't really blame him though if he is," JJ said, although she still was very sober.

"No, I really can't," Emily agreed, "but he doesn't exactly make the best patient and I can certainly understand that, as he's like me in that way and he's just too active to enjoy too much time off, especially since it's because he's so injured that he can't do much. If we were taking a vacation with our daughters or something it would be different, because at least he'd be able to enjoy himself with his family, learn about whatever city we were going to and something like that. Also, I just realized that we won't be able to play the game until he's better and neither one of us is going to take that very well, but since him being hurt is hardly his fault and I don't want to hurt him anymore we're just going to have to make do."

Playing the game was essential to every Alpha and Omega relationship in order for both of them to be happy, as it was a very important part of their nature. The game consisted of the Alpha spanking an Omega a few times hard enough to sting, but not hard enough to do any permanent damage for some fictitious wrong. Because the stinging only lasted for a few hours it was considered play and not serious punishment. However, if an Omega did something seriously wrong, as there were certain rules they had to abide by, if they were mated to an Alpha, then it was understood they would be seriously punished for their transgression and that they're butt wouldn't just throb for a few hours, but for several days every time they moved in anyway. Any Omega that cheated on their Alpha and it was discovered, well, they were usually thrown out and basically divorced. A lot of times if an Alpha was angry enough it led to the Omegas death and also the Alpha they were cheated on with. This was done, mostly because Alphas in particular had been known to want to get revenge, even if they had been the ones in the wrong and a lot of times Omegas also wanted revenge for actions taken deserved or not, because they would be shunned by all of their kind for their betrayal of their mate and that tended to have a detrimental effect on them. If it was a human that either an Alpha or Omega cheated on their mate with it was a totally different situation and that person was turned over to a certain department that was part of every police station as the government had created it, for their kind specifically.

"You also won't be able to do you know," Morgan commented in Emily nodded knowing that Morgan meant have sex, which was very true.

"I know and I want to torture those 3 for that alone," Emily growled. "Normally, one of us is not so hurt that we can't do our regular activities so long as we're careful and really we don't get hurt all that often, at least not enough to worry about."

"That's true enough, but you've only been together for three years," JJ said and Emily nodded

"You're implying that we've only been together for a short amount of time and that one of us could be severely injured due to our jobs," Emily said. "I know it's possible, but at least it would be due to some unsub, not three Alpha males, who are also members of the same organization as Spencer and I are who felt they knew better than anybody else. Three Alpha males that let their resentment of Spencer's talent, his enthusiasm for anything dealing with academics, turn into hate over a decade, hate, I might add that has no basis in fact."

"Two of those Alpha males I've turned down for a position within our unit before," Aaron added.

"You have?" JJ questioned her mate and Aaron nodded.

"I thought two of their names sounded vaguely familiar when we learned who had attacked Reid, so I looked them up and once I read the information I remembered that I interviewed two of them several years ago, about a year apart," Aaron told everyone. "They were troublemakers, even back then and I knew that they would try to cause trouble with the females of the team and likely Spencer as well, anybody they considered beneath them and our unit didn't need that kind of baggage. Gideon also read the information and agreed with me both times, so they were politely turned down."

"So you think part of the attack on Spencer has to do with resentment that they couldn't get a position in the BAU in either case?" Morgan asked and Aaron nodded

"Both Gideon and I believed so at the time and I still do. Both of them might've made decent profilers, but their attitude of superiority leaves a lot to be desired. I have no doubt that one of them at least would have tried to take charge, would have bossed the other team members around, probably even you Morgan if they thought they could get away with it. I have no doubt that they would have considered JJ, Penny or Emily for that matter beneath them and we already know they at least resented Reid before the attack, so I have no doubt that they would've done their best to either get him fired or make him quit. I don't believe it would have mattered if any of the females on the team were mated at the time, as they probably still would've tried their best to push them out thinking they didn't belong."

Dave snorted at that, knowing that if neither women didn't do their jobs they would have been at least transferred a long time ago, no, they were integral members of the unit, just as Spencer was

"I've read their files to now and I have to agree with Aaron on this one," Dave spoke up. "I wanted to get a feel for them, as psychological warfare is just as important as physical warfare. I want to break them before we finally end their lives and that the file that the bureau has on them tells me much, though I know it's not the whole picture."

"Well, I have to be getting back to the hospital," Emily said. "All I ask is you tell me when it's done sometime when Spencer isn't around to hear."

"We will," Dave promised and Morgan and Aaron nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you deserve to know," Aaron agreed, "Since it was your mate that was attacked with no provocation."

"Alright then, feel free to come and visit when you can and that offer stands for the whole team. I'm sure Spencer will be glad of your company for a few hours."

"We will," Morgan said. "Last time I was there he was still unconscious."

"Well, he's conscious now and not very happy about what happened, not that I can blame him for that, since I'm not very happy either," Emily said. "At least he doesn't seem to have any brain damage, even if it's going to take the rest of his body a very long time to completely heal."

"Yeah, we are going to miss him while he heals," Morgan said.

"But you're welcome to visit whenever you're not gone on cases for a few hours as that will cheer Spencer right up," Emily said.

"I know Penelope has plans on visiting frequently when we are gone so that he's not alone and has somebody to help look after the children other then the nanny," Morgan said. "Ours can play with yours keep them entertained."

"Well, he certainly won't mind," Emily laughed. "It might just keep him in a more positive mood and if it does I'll be grateful."

"Be strong, your relationship will survive this," JJ told her friend.

"I have no doubt about that, as I'm not going to let a bunch of overgrown children, who hated somebody for no reason at all, wreck my relationship with Spencer. I've dated plenty as you're well aware of, but none of them worked out mostly because of the job I had, but Spencer was different from the first time I met him and I love him deeply."

"It's hard to find an understanding partner when you're gone at least 200 days a year," said Morgan. "I know very well that I was very lucky that my baby girl and I clicked nearly immediately."

"Yeah, that happened to Aaron and I," JJ said kissing her mate's cheek affectionately.

"Well, I'm certainly glad that you started as the media liaison," Aaron said smiling. "I haven't been this happy in a very long time."

"I'll stop by the hospital and check on you two on my way home," JJ promised her friend.

"You don't have to, but it will be appreciated," Emily said. "I know Spencer will be grateful, as he won't be able to go home for several days at least."

"I'll be by sometime maybe tomorrow if we don't catch a case," Morgan promised.

"Oh, Prentiss, you're on leave for the next week at least and if you need more time let me know," Aaron told his subordinate.

"Thanks Aaron, it's appreciated," Emily replied.

"You're welcome, but you just look after our genius for us and that will be thanks enough," Aaron replied.

"Once he feels a little better he can help you out over Skype if you need him to. I'm sure that PG will have no trouble setting something like that up," Emily said.

"That's a good idea, although I know it's going to have to wait until he can move around more freely and isn't in as much pain," Aaron said.

"I'll let you know when he feels up to it, although that's going to be a couple weeks at least," Emily said.

"We know," Dave said, as he patted Emily on the shoulder in a shell of sympathy. "Now, I suggest you head for the hospital, be with your mate."

"I'm already gone," Emily promised smiling a little despite the emotional trauma she had just suffered.

Without another word Emily disappeared out of the room with the two-way mirror and headed for the garage.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Review! I'm begging here. The numerous reviews I got for two of my recent stories inspired me too write many others, a lot of which had never been finished until then. Authors live for reviews and I really don't get very many, so please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked Spencer as soon as she had arrived at his room in the hospital.

"I'm okay considering I'm pumped full of drugs," Spencer said a little sleepily. "So what happened with Keating, Mandell and Aimes?"

"Don't worry about that for right now," Emily said avoiding the subject. "I promise I'll tell you everything once you're feeling better."

Spencer didn't respond as he was already asleep again and Emily was grateful, as she wanted to avoid the subject of what was about to happen to those three Alphas for as long as possible. She knew very well that Spencer was going to be upset initially, but he would come to see it her way eventually. Emily understood that her mate had not been raised in a traditional Alpha/Omega household like she had, so that while he understood in his head sometimes certain actions were necessary, he didn't in his heart, simply because he had been raised that way and neither had his sister. Actually, his sister Rhianwen was better off, because she'd had a mother to explain certain facts of life too her. Emily know that Diana Reid had done the best she could for her son after her mate had left, but there were certain things that only a man could explain.

Emily wanted to confront William Reid and demand, did he know what he had done to his children and his mate when he'd just left out of the blue? She hadn't done so, because it wasn't really her place not unless Spencer wanted her to, but if she ever encountered William Reid accidentally, well, she would definitely give him a piece of mind, as he had abdicated his responsibility to his family, especially his children.

She had met Diana Reid several times as well as Rhianwen and it was clear that both of them loved Spencer a great deal and would never have abandoned him like his father had done, which had put them in her good books right away.

Rhianwen who was an Alpha like her had warned her that if she hurt her brother then she would regret it. Emily remembered Spencer's sister's exact words and they were. "He's been through enough with our father's abandonment, make sure you treat him right or you'll regret it I promise you."

Rhianwen then had added, "Mom did the best she could, but I'm sure you know that they're are certain things that the father passes on to his sons and are never written down. Unfortunately, Spence never learned these things or at least not at the age he should've learned it. I'm grateful to Agent Hotchner for teaching Spence what he should know, and I hope that it does some good."

Emily them remembered promising that she would never hurt Spencer and his sister had been happy with that and she had been there when their daughters had been born and several times sense, spoiling them rotten every time she visited.

Perhaps, it was time to have a couple more, as she wasn't getting any younger, Emily thought, once Spencer was better of course. The only way that a female of her kind could get pregnant was when they went into heat, which happened every six months, so she and Spencer could have as much sex as they wanted and so long as she wasn't in her fertile period there was no chance of her having an unexpected pregnancy.

I'll discuss it with him, once he feels better, Emily decided. I'm sure he'd like a couple of sons to go along with our beautiful little girls. Emily found herself longing for at least a couple more children before it wasn't safe for her to get pregnant again due to her age. Yes, usually her kind gave birth pretty easily, but still she was nearing 40 and she knew that it would be more dangerous to get pregnant. Still, a lot of women did so and came out just fine and she was in excellent health, which would only help if she wanted to get pregnant at least once more after this second time. Supporting four to six children wouldn't be a problem not only because she and Spencer made excellent salaries, but because she came from a wealthy family and had a trust fund. Spencer also had an excellent business sense and had invested what money he had wisely so that both of them had enough to support a large family, even without using her trust fund. She knew her parents would be happy if they got more grandchildren out of her since her brother still wasn't mated and didn't have any illegitimate children running around as far as she knew. As for her sister well she was happily mated to a guy who treated her well, as she was an Omega like Spencer and not an Alpha like herself. Her sister Sharon had several children and had them all before she and Spencer had met, so she'd certainly been luckier in finding someone to love. Emily had checked out Sharon's Alpha just for her own peace of mind, as she was well aware there were a lot of predators out there, but she had been relieved to find that he genuinely was a nice guy, exactly what he claimed to be, so she knew her sister was in good hands.

"How is he?" came a female voice.

Emily came out of her thoughts and turned around to see Spencer's sister Rhianwen standing in the doorway.

"As well as can be expected," Emily answered trying to control her emotions, which was a difficult thing to do because she loved Spencer so much.

"He'll be okay Emily," Rhian tried to assure her sister-in-law.

"I know, but he's there to be a long time in healing," Emily said and there was something in her voice that made Rhian sit up and take notice.

"What is it?" Rhian asked. "I can tell this something else wrong."

"He… He… nearly coded on the table," Emily said her voice quivering despite her best effort to prevent it.

Rhian growled fiercely at that. "Tell me that the three men that attacked him are going to pay."

Emily checked to make sure Spencer was still asleep and then walked over to his sister. "I promised him I wouldn't do anything, that I'd let them go to prison," Emily said softly.

Rhian growled fiercely again.

"But..." Emily continued causing Rhian to stop growling as she listened to her sister-in-law words. "I never promised that Hotch, Dave or Morgan wouldn't do anything. I guarantee you that the three Alphas will be dead soon, but not before they undergo the same torture that they did to Spencer. You know that Rossi, Morgan and Hotch are fierce about protecting those they care for and Spencer's also under the protection of the Rossi and Hotchner families. If Spencer had deserved what happened to him it would be different, but he's never done anything to them or anybody they're close to that made him deserve to nearly die. No, this was done out of sheer jealousy."

"So what did they have to say for themselves when presented with their fates?" Rhian asked smirking now. Of course, she was smirking she was an Alpha after all and Alphas tended to have very fierce personalities and it was her twin brother that had been severely injured, so injured that he had nearly died while he was in surgery.

"Oh, they tried to beg and plead and claim they were drunk and I told them personally that was no excuse. I told them that they had allowed their jealousy to turn to resentment, then to hate over a decade and that Spencer had done nothing to them that meant he deserved to nearly die. There is so much evidence against them that even the director of the FBI couldn't deny Hotch or Dave the right of dealing with this situation, as they saw fit and I'd be joining in if I hadn't promised Spencer that I just let be put them in prison," Emily said.

"Like that ever would've happened," Rhian snorted.

"No it wouldn't, because we all know that Alpha's have escaped from prison before or simply been released and that they've come after the victim's family. I don't think that Spencer was thinking straight personally, when he made that request as he was pretty out of it due to the pain and also the drugs," Emily said. "Those Alphas actually believed that no one would care enough to do a proper investigation and they definitely didn't expect for Spencer to pull through the surgery and give the team names. If it had been anyone else I would doubt the information he gave us, just because he was in so much pain, but thanks to his memory he is incapable of forgetting a name or a face, even though it's been over 10 years. Well, scratch that it's not been quite that long as Spencer had run into them a couple of times in the last decade totally on accident."

"So what do you think calls them to do what they did?" Rhian asked.

"Well, I would say it's a combination of things," Emily said thoughtfully still talking quietly as she didn't want Spencer to overhear the happen to be awake. "You can be jealous or resent people for a lot of reasons, but mostly it doesn't lead to what happened to Spencer, as resentment tends to fade after a few minutes or at least a few hours, depending on the situation, but jealousy remains. With these three though, they were so arrogant and against Omegas being in something like law enforcement, that when Spencer went to the Academy and they happened to be in his class they had no trouble being jealous or resenting him, just because of his academic powers. It didn't help at all that he was pulled directly into the BAU, which has never happened before or that Jason Gideon pulled strings to get him in at just 21 when the normal age of entry is 23. He proved again and again how intelligent he was and while those three are very intelligent themselves they are nowhere in Spencer's league, but then not many people are. I know that your brother didn't mean to show off, as that's just part of who he is, but the three were so arrogant that they likely believed he was showing off on purpose. Instead of dealing with their jealousy and letting their resentment fade or at least finding another outlet for all the stress they were under at work that when they encountered Spencer when they were drunk it all just came to a head. When you're drunk you're not likely to listen to reason, especially when you're way over the legal limit. Those three Alphas were impaired in every possible way and I wouldn't be surprised if they had an accident on their way home if they hadn't encountered Spencer first."

"So those three Alphas believed that no Omega should be part of any law enforcement agency at least not as an active field agent," Rhian said.

"Oh, I'm sure they didn't really think that, because a lot of our support staff technical analyst, secretaries and things are Omegas or humans with mostly very nice gentle personalities, but then again technically, support staff isn't really law enforcement. Still, they resented the hell out of your brother I think partially because two of them tried to get into the BAU and were turned away," Emily explained.

"So you're saying that two of them tried to get into the BAU, but were turned down, which only would've made their resentment worse," Rhian said.

"Yes, they have the type a personalities that being turned down for something they really want would have turned that jealousy and resentment into really intense hate. Here somebody they considered a non-entity was part of a really prestigious unit and had been so ever since he graduated Academy, while they were turned down," Emily explained.

"So how did you find this out?" Rhian asked.

"Hotch thought he recognized two of the names, but it was several years ago and he doesn't have your brother's eidetic memory, so he had Penny look them up and discovered that he was right. Both Keating and Aimes applied, but after Hotch read their files that PG sent him, which has quite a few censures in it they were politely turned down. Gideon was still on the team both times and he agreed with Hotch's decision," Emily explained.

"I see," Rhian said. "You're sure Keating, Aimes and the other one are going to be taken care of?"

"Positive," Emily promised. "I know you've met both Hotch, Morgan and Dave and you like them."

"Yeah, I did," Rhian agreed wondering where this was going.

"Well, let's just say Hotch and Dave at least are extremely old school and unlike a lot of our kind nowadays, they believe in an eye for an eye mentality and Morgan might not be as old as them, but still he loves Spence like a brother and was furious at what had happened. Both Rossi and Hotch are registered as your brother's protectors, along with myself and Jason Gideon or to rephrase that Spence's registered as being under all our protections. Keating, Mandell and Aimes didn't bother to do their research, they just assumed that Spencer was still the young man that had first joined the academy over a decade ago. We both know that making assumptions when it comes to our kind, particularly an Omega, is just idiotic, as every grown up Alpha and Omega in the world knows of the registry list, as do a lot of the children. Those three Alphas just assumed that Spencer didn't have anyone to protect him, they assumed that no one would really care if he ended up dead, and not even his own teammates would bother to investigate too deeply into his murder. They figured there'd be some investigation, because that's the way the FBI works, there's always an internal investigation when an FBI agent is murdered, especially if the evidence already points in that direction, but they figured that no one would bother to really try to solve it. They figured they were safe from reprisals. They didn't realize the niche that Spencer has made for himself in his nearly 12 years of working with the BAU. Everyone of his teammates respects his skills and his knowledge, even if he can be a little annoying occasionally."

"So can anyone," Rhian defended her brother.

"True enough," Emily agreed. "Morgan and Penny are occasionally annoying when they get all lovey-dovey in front of us. I mean more than what is normal in a public setting. They just go a little bit overboard sometimes that's all."

"So what did they do?" Rhian asked interested despite herself.

"Oh, they just flirt heavily, you know that kind of thing I'm talking about."

"Inappropriate suggestions?" Rhian suggested with a laugh, as she imagined that.

"Definitely," Emily laughed. "Still, I can't blame them, considering how little time we get to spend with our families, especially the two of them, because Penny's only the technical analyst not a field agent. At least, I get to spend much more time with Spencer and Hotch with JJ then Morgan and Garcia do together. If you heard how they flirt on the phone..."

"It makes them happy though and they never go to far," Rhian said.

"No, they don't, even if it makes all of us a little uncomfortable, as they get to spend so little time together that I at least can understand it, though since Hotch hasn't tried to stop it, he probably understands too," Emily agreed. "They keep it toned down when it's professional, although they still flirt a little, just not as heavily. In any case, back to the three Alphas. I showed them pictures of Spencer's injuries and none of them even gave a sign that they really cared and I told them they had a lot in common with some of the unsubs we chase. I told them they didn't bother to do their research, or that they never considered that Spence might have a family. None of these things occurred to them when they attacked him and now they're paying the consequences."

"They sound like a bunch of idiots to me," Rhian said.

"Intelligent wise no, they aren't idiots if that's what you mean, they just have superiority complexes, because no one who goes through the Academy can really be an idiot or they would've dropped out within the first couple of days, trust me, on that. I mentioned to Dave, Hotch, JJ and Morgan that perhaps, if they hadn't met this never would've happened. The three of them simply brought out the worst in each other or at least that's what I believe."

"You're probably right, as I've seen it happen," Rhian admitted. "Their were a couple of Alpha males at the college I attended although I didn't go as soon as Spence that were extremely arrogant. Well, let's just say that they caused more trouble when they were together then when they weren't."

"It does happen occasionally," Emily agreed. "I think our three troublemakers were kindred spirits and they already had a belief in their own superiority and sometimes that belief can't be shaken no matter what you do. I still can't believe they did something like this though, because our kind are taught the consequences of going after somebody like Spence. I mean most of our kind are taught our laws, customs, traditions and told about the consequences of certain actions. I mean my brother, sister and I were certainly drilled from the time we were really small about consequences if we let our emotions control us. If we resented or hated someone, someone that hadn't really done anything to us and then we decided to go after them then the consequences would be severe. Even if we were drunk that wouldn't excuse our actions and it certainly doesn't excuse the actions of those three Alphas, because all it did was lower their normal inhibitions."

"You made a very good point," Rhian agreed respecting her sister-in-law more and more. "Spence and I were taught the same thing by our mother, since our father certainly never bothered. We were both certainly intelligent enough to start lessons at a much earlier age then most of our kind."

"I agree with that from all I know from Spence," Emily said. "I wanted to deal with William Reid in a more permanent manner, but Spence won't let me."

"It would only get you in trouble, because although we weren't raised properly by our father, you have no legitimate reason to get involved. Yes, he hurt us when he left, particularly Spence, but that doesn't mean you can come in like some avenging angel."

"I know," Emily sighed. "That lousy excuse for an Alpha better hope he never runs into me or he's going to get a punch in the nose at the very least."

"I would love to be there to see that," Rhian giggled. "It would certainly knock some of that arrogance out of him and he would probably wonder why you hit him, because as far as I know he knows nothing about our lives ever since he left. It's probably better if you don't run into him though because he'd probably bring you up on charges."

"I'm not worried," Emily said confidently. "Charges like that would be dropped before I'd been in the police station for half an hour. My mother is a pretty powerful figure in her own right, as she's an ambassador and my father has a great many contacts and political pull. They're very fond of your brother and they adore their two granddaughters, so charges like that wouldn't stick trust me."

"Well, it's nice to know people in high places," Rhian joked.

"Yes, it is," Emily said grinning wickedly

"So you never did tell me exactly how you knew my brother was hurt," Rhian said.

"It was the worst moment of my life," Emily began. "You know the connection that mate's share, well, once they've mated for the first time anyway."

Rhian nodded so Emily continued.

"Well, I kept having this niggling little feeling that something was wrong and it took me awhile to figure out what it was I'm ashamed to say. I knew Spencer had told me that he was going by the bookstore before he came home, but it never occurred to me that he might be ambushed before he could get home."

"It wouldn't have occurred to anyone," Rhian said.

"Yeah, probably, but considering the professions we're both in it should have occurred to me much sooner, you know?" Emily said. "I was at home paying some attention to our daughters Diane and Laurel, since we're gone so much. Finally, I happened to glance at my watch and saw how late it was and I knew Spencer should've been home by that time or he would've called, as he'd never would've left me to worry. It was then that I finally knew that niggling little feeling meant he was in trouble and I almost literally kicked myself for not figuring it out sooner. I thought calling the hospitals would be the place to start and I called the ones closest to the Barnes & Nobles I knew he had gone to and I got lucky. I'm lucky somebody found him and called 911, because by the time I had gotten there he probably would have died."

Both women shuddered at that possibility, because as it was Spencer had a long recovery ahead of him, but at least he would recover.

Past

Emily tried Spencer's phone and found that it was out of service which meant it had been totally smashed and destroyed. She immediately began to panic because she knew that Spencer had been able to come home he would.

She then immediately called Garcia and asked her to find her the nearest hospital to the Barnes & Nobles. Garcia wanted to know why of course and Emily told her thinking that she might be panicking over nothing. It was quite possible that Spencer had simply dropped his phone and it had gotten smashed before he could pick it up. However, that niggling worry in the back of her mind told her that wasn't the solution because logically she knew that Spencer would have found a phone in order to call her, so she wouldn't worry. All he would have to do was show his ID to any shop clerk and they would have let him use the phone with minimum protest and with his eidetic memory he would have every number that had been in his contact list memorized.

Garcia called her back within minutes and gave her the three nearest hospitals to Barnes & Nobles then demanded that Emily let her know if Spencer was okay immediately after she had found out. She had promised before hanging up.

She had immediately dialed the first number and gotten lucky.

She had talked to the receptionist and had been told that her mate was in surgery and that he was severely injured. It looked like he'd been run over by a bus actually as he had multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung, internal injuries and contusions. His kidneys were bruised on one side and he had a broken arm in three places, a broken leg and several broken fingers. Emily arranged with the nanny to take care of the girls while she was gone saying that she would send their godmother over to look after them.

The nanny Edelle had shooed her out and told her immediately that she wanted to know how Dr. Reid was doing as soon as Emily knew.

Emily had made it to the hospital in record time and immediately asked about her mate Dr. Spencer Reid.

She had been told that he was still in surgery and had been for a couple of hours and that she could wait in the waiting room.

It had been a nerve-racking hour before the doctor had come and told Emily that her mate had survived the surgery, but he wasn't out of danger quite yet, as he was in a coma. The rest of the team had arrived after the doctor had left and tried their best to support Emily, although it was clear that they too were worried once Emily revealed how severe their teammates injuries were.

"He'll be okay Emily," Aaron tried to assured his subordinate. "He's a lot stronger then we all believe and he's proven that on multiple occasions."

"But he wasn't even this hurt after Hankel," JJ said, biting her lip worriedly. "He had injuries sure, but not as severe as what Emily told us he has this time."

"Still, he made it through the surgery and that's really saying something," Morgan said.

"You should all go home, as I doubt he'll wake tonight there's no point of exhausting yourselves," Emily urged them, already knowing it was useless.

"We're not going anywhere until you also leave and go home to Diane and Laurel," Dave told Emily firmly. "You need your rest and you know Reid would tell you the same thing."

"I will, once I've had a chance to see him in about 15 minutes," Emily said looking at her watch. "He should be in ICU by then."

"We'll stay until then," Aaron decided

Emily knew better than to argue for the whole team could be extremely stubborn when it concerned one of their own.

"So how do you think this happened? Some unsub?" Penelope asked looking worried for her junior G-man.

"I don't think so, because they likely would've made sure he was dead," Morgan said shaking his head. "They would've taken out any civilians that had dared to interrupt what they were doing."

"Or they would've transported him to another location that was more private, before working on him," Aaron added. "Somewhere they weren't likely to be interrupted until they were done doing what they wanted to, somewhere we might never have discovered the body."

"So what do you think happened?" Dave asked agreeing with everything Aaron had just said as it just didn't make sense. "I don't think it's just a bunch of gang members, as Spencer likely would've been able to talk them down from doing anything and even if he hadn't been able to, they likely just would have killed him and not bothered to break so many of his bones. I know gangs can be violent, but they're not usually into doing so much damage to a body, it's usually kill someone and move on with perhaps a few knife wounds. From what the doctor told Emily, Reid has far more injuries than a few knife wounds, he has multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung and severe internal injuries. Now, while gangs are violent, that's usually not their style."

"I don't think it was a gang member either, because how would they know that he was FBI?" Emily asked rhetorically. "They would have no reason to attack him, well, other than to demand he turn over his wallet. Spencer would have turned over his money and his credit cards if he thought he couldn't handle the situation and escaped at the first opportunity. He never would have risked his life for the money in his wallet. Credit cards after all, can be canceled."

"I, out of anyone, know that Spencer is very good at talking himself out of a situation," Aaron said remembering Chester Hardwick. Hardwick had lured them to the prison with a promise of an interview, but really he had been going to kill them, so they wouldn't give him a lethal injection because he had been on death row. Spencer had pulled out some of the most brilliant BS that Hotch had ever seen on the fly and kept Hardwick distracted long enough for the guards to return.

"So I don't see a couple of gang thugs getting the better of him unless the situation is very unusual, as he would have just talked himself out of it."

"Yes, I agree with that, as Reid is very verbose and can talk himself out of most situations," Dave agreed.

"So if it wasn't some unsub or a member of a gang, who could have nearly killed my baby?" Penelope asked looking worried about the youngest member of the team.

"That's what we need to figure out," JJ said. "It was certainly someone that has a lot of resentment and hate for Spence, because he has multiple broken bones and internal injuries and that says, intense anger and hate to me."

The six of them sat there contemplating who could have possibly have hurt one of their own so badly.

"Garcia, I don't suppose, you can do a check to see if any of the unsubs w've put in prison have gotten out?" Aaron requested.

"Of course, bossman," Garcia immediately agreed. "I'll need to get back to the BAU for that though, as I need access to the bureau mainframe."

"You don't really think it's some unsub, do you?" JJ asked her mate before Dave could.

"It's not likely," Aaron admitted, "but I want to eliminate even the possibility, so that we can move on the other areas of the investigation."

"Very wise," Dave decided. "It's better to make sure that no one we have put in prison have been released and has been spotted in the area, even if we're nearly positive this isn't the work of some unsub that Reid helped put behind bars."

"Hotch and Dave are right," Emily told the others who nodded.

"We might have to just wait for Spencer to wake up so he can give us whatever information he has. Perhaps, he can identify whoever it was."

"He should be in ICU now, so I'll go visit him and tell you how he's doing once I get back," said Emily.

Emily left the waiting room and headed for ICU where she was allowed to visit for a few minutes before she was shooed out and told to return tomorrow doing visiting hours.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Present

"His injuries are as you know pretty bad and he was hooked up to a lot of devices with an oxygen mask over his face," Emily told Rhian. "However, they removed the oxygen mask the very next day once they were sure his lung was going to stay inflated and allowed me to talk to him for a few minutes. He was really doped up on drugs, but he was able to tell me the names of his attackers. It all made sense once I found out who had injured my mate so severely and I made sure to inform Hotch and the rest of the team. Keating, Mandell and Aimes were going down and they were going down hard. By the time we were done, we had warrants for their apartments and we found enough evidence that they would never be going to get out of prison, if they were going to go to one that is. There was plenty of evidence right on their computers, particularly Aimes who seems to have hated Spencer and a lot of other people more than the other two. I mean the guy kept a journal never imagining that anybody would look for it and in it he listed every person he felt slighted by for different reasons of course. Spencer was in there, but also a lot of other agents ,even women who refused his advances, who didn't work for the FBI."

"Well, Aimes seems to have had a rather thin skin if he's going to take insult over every little supposed slight," Rhian suggested.

"Especially if that person was someone he considered beneath him," Emily agreed. "He was okay with other Alphas for the most part, as everybody listed is either a human or an Omega. As for the other two, we didn't find as much evidence against them, but it's certainly enough to end their lives, because they were also part of the attack against my mate. I'm sure that if I had Penny do some digging she could turn up a lot of evidence, but it doesn't really matter because we already found enough to condemn them. All I was saying, was that Aimes seems to have been the one that kept a record of everybody he felt slighted, insulted or got a promotion over him. As you have already observed he seems to have had a very thin skin and also wasn't willing to put in the effort required to get himself promoted or at least noticed by his superiors. He took offense at everybody who worked hard and especially took offense at ones like Spencer who had real talent that was recognized. He does a lot of consults and although Dave has to check over his work, since he's a supervisor, he's helped the police catch a lot of really bad people. We can't respond to calls for help from anybody who needs us because there just isn't enough time in the year. We'd have no time to eat, sleep or have any type of private life at all if we answered every single person that wants help. We have to prioritize, help the ones that really need it personally."

"I understand," Rhian said and it was clear she did.

"As it is, we work a lot more then most jobs require and often put in overtime, so we get to spend far less time with our families then other people with different careers. Hell, if Spencer hadn't already been on the team, I doubt I ever would have met anyone that would be able to put up with me being gone so many days out of the week as the BAU takes total commitment. Even a lot of our weekends are interrupted."

"And yet neither one of you would have it any other way," Rhian suggested.

"No, we wouldn't as we like putting unsubs behind bars so that ordinary citizens are a little safer," Emily admitted. "Of course, there might come a day where one or both of us burns out, as it's been known to happen, which is why our free time is so precious."

"Well, I'll trust Keating, Mandell and Aimes will be taken care of by Hotch and Dave," Rhian said. She said this with confidence, because she had met both of them and knew that they could act extremely Alpha when necessary.

"And also Morgan," Emily reminded her sister-in-law with an evil smirk. "He's just not from a powerful family, but he considers Spencer a brother as well, remember. They're very close actually. Believe me, he was absolutely vibrating with rage when he learned the man he considered a brother was extremely close to death and not due to some unsub out for revenge, but by three of our own. He managed not to do anything in public though, but I know it was a extremely hard for him. Dave and Hotch were just as upset, just better at controlling their emotions and Dave promised that they would be taken care of it in the coldest voice I've ever heard from him, as he is usually pretty affable. It offends his sense of right and wrong what those three did as he's extremely old school."

"Good, it's what they deserve. They better hope that I never meet them," Rhian said.

"I'm surprised you're not asking to join them," Emily said.

"It would only upset Spencer if I did and you'll have a hard enough time getting him to understand that this was necessary, mostly because our father never bothered to teach him what he needed to know at a young enough age that it became part of who he was, where he knew absolutely that sometimes such courses of action are necessary," Rhian said. "I was luckier that I still had mom and she did her job, even though she's an Omega like Spence."

"I know that's one reason I often feel like violence where it concerns him," Emily admitted. "Hotch took Spencer under his wing and trained him in what he needed to know several years ago, as you know. This was something Gideon never bothered to do, but unfortunately, his personality was basically set by the time that happened. It's one of his few hangups, because your mother did a good job in training him, except in the things that only the males know and are passed by word of mouth. I know it's not his fault though, so I don't hold it against him."

"I know you don't or you never would have mated with him I'm sure," Rhian said.

"I might still have," Emily shrugged, "but I probably would punish him, seriously and not just in play whenever a situation that required him to understand what was happening without him protesting popped up or at least I probably would have if he argued too much or gave me the cold shoulder. However, I really do understand that he wasn't raised in a traditional household, which isn't his fault so it would be unfair of me to seriously punish him if he did these things. In most ways he was raised traditionally thanks to your mother and he can't help the things he didn't learn if he was never taught. Even now, that Hotch has taken care of the situation and taught him the things he needed to know it's not really deeply ingrained into who he is."

"Well, it's nice to know I was right about you," Rhian smile. "You understand that someone's childhood helps form who they are and believe me, I've heard stories about some Alphas who will punish their Omega for something that wasn't their fault. Like if they weren't raised in a traditional household like Spencer and I weren't and then something happens, so they don't behave appropriately."

"Yeah, I've heard those stories too," Emily agreed. "It's not right, but a lot of people don't understand that your childhood helps form who you are, our personality, our likes and dislikes. A lot of people humans as well as our species don't think about that. Spencer and I got to know each other pretty well when we were just friends and then when we started courting, so I suppose I understand more about human nature just because of the job I have."

"I think you would have understood, even if you didn't work for the behavioral analyst unit, simply because you're more perceptive and accepting of a peoples foibles," Rhian suggested.

"Maybe, who knows," Emily mused.

Suddenly Spencer gave signs of waking up and both ladies were instantly at the side of his bed.

"How are you feeling, big brother?"

"Like crap," Spencer answered.

"You have every right to feel like crap," Emily told him, as she ran a gentle hand through his hair.

Spencer sighed and closed his eyes in pleasure as Emily's touch felt so soothing.

"You have multiple broken bones, contusions and you did have a collapsed lung that the doctors reinflated. You also had severe internal injuries which is one of the reasons that the doctors had to operate on you. You're going to be in the hospital for several days yet and you're going to be at least a month to six weeks in healing."

"So what happened with Keating, Mandell and Aimes?" Spencer asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure you're ready for that information yet," Emily hedged.

"I can already guess," Spencer sighed. "I might be doped up on pain medication, but I'm not stupid, you know. They're already dead aren't they?"

"They aren't yet, but they soon will be," Emily told Spencer. "I know you just wanted them to go to prison, but Alphas like that have been known to be released or escape and come after their victims family. You know that Alphas are very stubborn and the three of them still believe that what they did was right. I know you really don't understand an Alpha's mentality as well as you should due to not being taught the lessons you should have learned at an early age, but I guarantee you that whenever they got out they would be focused on revenge. They would have no problem going after Diane and Laurel, even your sister here or your mother if they learned who she was. They would want you to suffer as much as possible for all the trouble you caused them, even though they were in the wrong. You've read enough history of our race by now to know what I'm saying is true, but if you insist on being mad at me, then that's your privilege. Really though, it wasn't my decision it was Dave's and Hotch's as you're under their protection as well as mine and there was no way they were going to allow Mandell, Aimes and Keating to get away with what they did to you. You nearly coded on the table for God sakes!" Emily added yelling. "I nearly lost you due to three complete idiots that wanted revenge on you, even though you had never done anything to them."

"I'm sorry," Spencer said softly seeing how upset Emily was. "I know I don't really understand an Alpha's mentality well enough to absolutely know you did the right thing, but still, it's done or soon will be and it's not like I can do anything to reverse Dave's and Hotch's decisions or Morgan's either, as I know he won't be left out when it comes to those threes punishment. I still think that a prison time would've been appropriate."

"It they were human, perhaps prison would have made them change their ways," Rhian said speaking up. "I know you don't understand Spencer, at least not in your heart, but Alphas are way more stubborn then humans can ever be in certain situations. Were those three to live they'd need revenge on you the second they were released or escaped and likely on any of those involved in putting them behind bars. Changing their mind no matter what you said or did most likely wouldn't have worked. I'm afraid the only way too permanently end the problem is to kill them. What would you do if you came home from a case to find your family dead and you hadn't done anything to prevent it?"

Spencer gulped, as he listened to his sister.

"It's happened so often in the past that it's now legal to kill an Alpha that has injured another of their kind in such a way when they had done nothing to earn it. Dave and Aaron are doing exactly the right thing in order to protect you from further reprisals and in order to protect our family from being seriously hurt at least," Emily told him firmly

"I know that when Hotch gave you those lessons he told you all about how an Alpha thinks, but I also understand that they're not as ingrained into your personality as they should be due to the fact that you weren't taught as a child. I know you think that a few years in prison would make them see the error of their ways, but trust me, that's not the case. I actually interrogated them myself and their so arrogant and full of hubris that they didn't believe they had done anything wrong and you're not going to change their minds. I actually showed them pictures of your injuries for gods sakes and they didn't hardly react at all. They definitely didn't show any signs that they were sorry for what they had done and they can't claim they're drunk anymore for they're stone cold sober. Just think of them like the unsubs we chase as a great many of them aren't going to stop kidnapping or raping children or killing, torturing or raping women or committing many other crimes just because you want them to. No, a lot of times it's a compulsion and with these three Alphas it's much the same. Come on Spence you aren't that naïve."

"They have families though," Spencer protested weakly.

"I think their families are better off without them, personally, because I firmly believe, we have three serial killers in the making or at least one that could out that way and its possible that the others just followed along. We actually found a journal in Aimes apartment that listed every time he felt slighted or insulted by somebody he considered beneath him, either humans or Omegas and you were at the top of the list according to Morgan who did the search. Also, there're are a load of censures in all their files, although Aimes seems to be the worst offender," Emily said. "I wouldn't be surprised to discover that all three of them treat their mates like dirt, since they are bound to be Omegas, as Alphas like that would never lower themselves to mate with a human. I wouldn't be surprised if they also treat their children who are going to turn out to be Omega's very badly either. You have to remember that it was their decision to attack you and even being way over the legal limit alcohol wise is not an excuse, as all that did was lower their inhibitions. I mean, come on, they didn't bother to do their research to find out you were under the protection of three very powerful families and even Gideon, who isn't as wealthy as the other three, but has quite the reputation and certainly has considerable influence in the circles that matter."

"You're right," Spencer admitted, even as he struggled not to show how much pain he was in. "I know you are at least in my head."

"Good, I'm glad you can see that," Emily said relieved.

"But in my heart, I'm having trouble accepting that it is necessary," Spencer continued. "I mean they are not some unsubs that have committed unspeakable crimes."

"They were heading in that direction though," Emily told Spencer firmly. "You just read their files when you feel better and you'll see what I mean. Just because they haven't committed any serious crimes, at least that we know about, doesn't mean that they couldn't and likely would have developed into that someday, particularly Aimes. I have no idea how they ever got accepted into the Bureau. At the least they should've washed out within the first couple of days and never should have passed a psych eval. Aimes in particular, is extremely petty and seems to take insult from just about anything and in many ways the other two are similar, although they don't seem to be quite as bad in that way. All of them have censures out the wazoo from the various departments that they've been in over the last dozen years. They've been just about in every department in the FBI at different times and what does that tell you?"

"That they were trouble and that supervisors wanted to get rid of a major problem," Spencer said and Emily nodded. "I know you don't like it, but if we don't deal with this problem now it will only come back to bite the both of us in the butt at some point. I doubt very much they get more than 10 years for their assault on you as humans don't understand our kind very well. They would want to put them in prison instead of them ending up on death row, because they haven't committed enough crimes, particularly murder, to warrant that. As far as we know the attack on you is the only true crime they've committed, even if they're not particularly nice to other Omegas or humans. Don't you worry about that though at least not until you feel better."

"But what about their families?" Spencer asked, even as he was struggling to stay awake.

"I promised those three that their families would be taken care of and I intend to fulfill that promise. I'll make sure all three families have enough money in the bank so that they don't starve. Unlike those three who didn't even bother to learn that you had a family of your own I'm honorable. They figured that your own teammates would be glad to get rid of you and whoever investigated the crime wouldn't bother to do it properly, because they believed that anybody who knew you would only tolerate you at best. They didn't bother to take into account that it's been just under 12 years, since you joined the FBI and that you would have been booted a long time ago if you didn't do your job. They didn't bother to learn the fact that you were under the protection of four different families, three of them powerful ones, both financially and due to their reputations. This all could have been avoided if only they hadn't been as drunk as tinkers, because I'm sure you would've been able to talk your way out of it if not for that."

"Spence always thinking of others before yourself, even when it's clear that they were the ones in the wrong this time," Rhian told him firmly. "You nearly died and yet, you're still worried about three Alphas who should have listened to their good sense. If anything you should be furious at them, because you're not the one that caused this situation, they are. I think that your three teammates are doing exactly what should be done, because I know Emily's right, as soon as they got out of prison they would only come after your family, my nieces and possibly me and our mother. They might even decide to go after your teammates, since in minds like theirs they would be equally responsible, because they actually worked to solve the case to put them in prison.

"In their minds, they have done absolutely nothing wrong, which just proves how delusional they are. You can't just think about yourself, as Hotch and JJ, Morgan and PG each have several children that would be in danger, if those three lived through their prison term as Alphas are usually pretty tough, even if they don't like being caged," Emily said.

"Sending them to prison would just make the situation worse in the long run as the likelihood of all three of them dying while there are astronomical," Rhian said. "I can see it happening to one of them maybe, but not all three. If one of them did die in prison it would only incense the two remaining and make their desire for revenge a hundred times worse."

"Well, I think we've discussed this enough for the present, as Spence is still pretty out of it due to the drugs," Emily said finally. "We can discuss it again at a later date once he's feeling better, but just know that it's a done deal and I couldn't change Dave, Morgan's or Hotch's minds, even if I wanted to. The way they're doing it is only proper and once done they'll return the bodies to their families so that they have something to bury and mourn."

Spencer said nothing, but he seemed to understand, though that might have been the drugs talking, so Emily would just have to wait and see.

"Let's get out of here for awhile, shall we? Get something to eat maybe," Rhian suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I haven't eaten much in the last couple of days. I was to worried," Emily admitted.

"Yeah, I know how that is," Rhian agreed. "We can either eat in the cafeteria or go somewhere."

"Go somewhere, because I've had enough hospital food to last me a lifetime," Emily said making a face. "The whole team has been in the hospital at one time or another."

"Go somewhere close by, so that you don't have far to come back," Rhian promised.

"I need to go home and get changed anyway, see Diane and Laurel. They're really too young to understand that their father is seriously injured, as they're only two, so I need to spend some time with them," Emily decided. "I'll come back later."

"Alright, if that's what you want," Rhian agreed.

"That's definitely what I want, because I know from personal experience at the coffee in hospitals is absolutely terrible, well, at least if you get it out of one of those machines. Really, hospital food isn't much better so let's go somewhere that at least has decent food," Emily said.

"Yeah, I suppose you would've spent a lot of time in hospitals at least waiting to hear if one of your teammates is going to make it and if that was the case with me I would really be tired of hospital food to," Rhian said.

"Luckily, it's not usually Spencer that gets hurt, as he works mostly from behind the scenes, although he does also interview witnesses," Emily said.

"Which is how he ended up being captured by Tobias Hankel," Rhian said. She had heard all about his three days of torture, from his own lips months after it had happened. Spencer hadn't wanted to tell her, but she had insisted, until he had given in just like he always did, because she was the Alpha and he was only an Omega and it didn't help that she was his sister. If there was anybody he trusted more it was her, because they had grown up together and she had always been there for him. Spencer had claimed that he didn't want to give her nightmares, but she had simply been very persistent until he had given in, just like he always did. Talking about it had helped some of the emotional wounds that he had been carrying around and he felt much better afterwards, which was why Rhian had insisted in the first place.

"Yeah, that was before I joined the team," Emily sighed. "Just a few months actually. I know it took him a long time to really get over that, but I also know talking to you about it helped a lot."

"I knew it would, which is why I insisted that he had to tell me what happened," Rhian said. "You can't really completely get over something like that, but you can put it behind you, though I do envy you and Spence the ability to compartmentalize."

"It's a learned skill," Emily said and Rhian nodded.

"Still, I know you and the team couldn't do what they do if you couldn't compartmentalize, because if you all had all the bodies you see in your head all the time it would drive anybody insane even an Alpha with a really strong personality."

"Yeah, it would," Emily agreed, as she and Rhian reached her car. "Let's just enjoy lunch and talk about more pleasant things, before I bring you back so you can get your own vehicle."

"Sounds good," Rhian agreed, as she got in the passenger seat.

Emily backed the car out of its parking place and then headed for a restaurant she knew was good that was close by.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

"So how come you've never mated?" Emily asked Rhian, as soon as their meals had been delivered.

"You know you sound like mom asking me that?" Rhian observed.

"I was just curious," Emily said. "I mean you're beautiful, successful and from what I have observed are a lot like Spencer, except with a more forceful personality when need be. You're intelligent, compassionate, good with children, articulate, loving. You have a successful business and are worth a considerable amount of money."

"That's part of the problem," Rhian admitted. "I'm observant enough to be able to tell that a lot of times my dates, just want a portion of my money. I know the signs as Spencer warned me, so I know what to look for, you know? I've dated both humans and Alphas and they didn't work out for one reason or another. I just knew when I was younger than I was going to not only be successful, but get married young and have a family. I was sure that I would get married first, but we know how well that worked out. I never quite realized how greedy, petty, spoiled and boring people could be, not until I started dating. Sure, I knew that some of the kids I went to school with had these traits and abundance, but I figured that most of them would outgrow them, you know?"

"And you found out that a lot of them don't," Emily said immediately understanding where her sister-in-law was coming from.

"Boy! Did I," Rhian said rolling her eyes. "I didn't date much while I was building my business, as that was hard work. I just didn't have time, but I did date a little and one guy was so petty that I could hardly believe it. I suppose it is much like Aimes being so petty that he wanted to get back at the people he felt had insulted him, even if they've done nothing other than show they have intelligence, talented and had a decent work ethic. I have no doubt that he was the leader when the attack on my brother took place and the other two were likely just following along. I'm not saying they aren't equally as guilty, just that they might not have attacked my brother if Aimes hadn't been there that's all."

"That's a possibility actually, as I had the same impression," Emily admitted.

"Well, I can tell you that we didn't date after that, as I told him that I wouldn't answer any of his calls," Rhian said.

"So he didn't make a very good impression on you," Emily suggested smirking a little.

"Definitely not, as all the stories he told me made me positive that I wouldn't be interested in going out on another date. I knew people could be petty, but I didn't expect to encounter one like that. The only difference between him and Aimes was, he was an Omega and Aimes is an Alpha," Rhian said. "He seemed to want to get back at a lot of people who he felt had wronged him, but I could tell he was all talk, though that didn't mean I wanted to put up with him for another date. I dated another guy a few months after that that all he could do was brag about himself and that was the end of that relationship before it even really started."

"That sounds so much like me as I had trouble finding somebody I'd be happy to settle down with," Emily sighed. "It didn't help that my family is fairly wealthy and a lot of people knew it before I even asked them out for a date. If you knew how much trouble I'd had finding someone who didn't care about my families wealth and about me..."

"So how did you fall in love with my brother, neither one of you have told me much about your relationship, you know," Rhian asked.

"Well, I wasn't sure what to make of him when I first joined the team. At first I thought he was rather annoying, but then I'm sure most people do before they get to know him, if they bother to do so. It took me awhile to catch on that it was to keep people away from him and also because it was just part of his personality. He wasn't really showing off like so many people over the years have believed. He just likes sharing his knowledge and most people don't appreciate when he comes up with some obscure fact. I'm sure you're aware that he's a virtual well of information that has helped us crack more than one case and while his talent is very useful in our profession I can't think of any other it would be useful in, except perhaps on a game show. Anyway, we grew closer over the next couple years and it was about a year after that that I realized that I'd fallen in love with him. I asked him out on a date soon after that, though I wasn't sure if he had feelings for me as well, as he is very good at concealing his emotions, as I'm sure you know. I was actually surprised when he said yes, though he didn't reveal that he had feelings for me to, not right away. If you know Spencer though, you would know that he never would have accepted a date from a coworker if he didn't have feelings for them. We dated for several months before he admitted that he loved me. It wasn't long after that, that I proposed and then claimed him as mine."

"Well, it's nice to know the Reader's Digest version of how you got together. I think Spence first started spouting off trivia when he was seven or eight because people were so mean to him and I couldn't always be around to defend him. I think it turned into a defense mechanism, eventually," Rhian admitted pensively. "I think he started spouting facts and statistics in the first place to impress our father, but all it did was annoy him. My brother has an ability to absorb information like no one else I've ever encountered and I think he thought at the time that if he absorbed information and started spouting them off that his father would start paying more attention to him. My brother might've been very intelligent, but he didn't really understand as much about human nature back then as he does now, but then, he was just a kid and so was I, so that's not surprising. People can be pretty idiotic for the dumbest of reasons, even if you have a good brain. I mean, father, from what I remember, is very intelligent, but when it came too living up to his responsibilities to his family he was lousy. Our father being annoyed was an improvement over him ignoring us though, though it was mostly Spencer he ignored I believe because he was an Omega and he wanted two Alpha for children."

"If that's the case, he really is just as petty as Aimes or that guy you were telling me about. There is no way to tell what kind of children you're going to get whether they're going to be an Alpha and Omega or two Alphas. He should've been proud that his son was so intelligent instead of being upset that he wasn't an Alpha like you were. Yes, two Alphas is possible or three for that matter if it's triplets, but more often than not there is at least one Omega amongst them."

"You and I know this, and I'm sure father knows it too, but he didn't seem to care what he was doing to his own son," Rhian said, shaking her head.

"Is it possible that he would have preferred you to be an Omega and Spencer an Alpha?" Emily asked.

Rhian considered that for a minute then said, "That's possible actually and not something I had considered before. Considering what I remember of his personality it's possible he was hoping his son would turn out to be an Alpha, even if his daughter did not. I do remember that he started treating me like his son once he realized that I had taken after him in that way, not that that prevented him from leaving when we were kids."

"So from what I understand from what you're saying, you're interested in settling down but you haven't managed to find anybody that you would be happy to settle down with," Emily said.

"I would love to settle down, have some children," Rhian said her tone wistful. "I don't have more than another 15 years or so before I won't be able to have children safely. I think my brother is so lucky to have found you, though he certainly didn't have the same problem when it comes to having children that I do."

"Yeah, seems rather unfair that a man's sperm is always viable so long as he's alive," Emily said. "It's how a 80 year old man can have children with a 30 or 40 year old woman. I was really lucky to have found him as well, as I was several years older than you are now when we finally decided that we loved each other and he accepted my proposal."

"I'm very happy that he found someone that respects him for his talents instead outright resenting, hating or disdaining him. So many people don't bother to really try to get to know him, just consider him an annoyance when he starts spouting off facts. It used to get him bullied a lot in high school and it didn't help that he skipped a lot of grades, but then so did I, so at least we were in the same classes and I was around most of the time to protect him," Rhian said.

"You know I've been thinking about talking to him about having a couple more children before I get to old," Emily announced her decisions suddenly.

"You were?" Rhian asked her face lighting up at the thought.

"It's just something I was considering while I was sitting by his hospital bed. I really would like a couple of sons to go along with our gorgeous little girls, you know? Of course, I'm aware that neither Spencer or I can control what sex we get, but supposedly, there's a 50% chance that we'll have at least one boy."

"I suppose Spencer told you that," Rhian snorted in amusement.

"Yep, he did way back when I was pregnant with Diane and Laurel," Emily confirmed. "Of course, he also said that girl twins are the next most common type to a boy and a girl and that two boys are much rarer."

"Well, he would know," Rhian said smiling.

"Please don't say anything to your brother, as I want to wait until he's healed before I even bring it up. We don't need to get him excited, not while he still in so much pain," Emily requested.

"Alright, I won't bring it up, but I can't help imagining more nieces and nephews," Rhian said smiling, as she ate her pork chop.

"I know, it's certainly a very happy thought and I just realized in Spencer's hospital room that I would like to get pregnant at least one more time before it's not safe for me to do so."

"You have plenty of more years to have a several more pregnancies if you want to," Rhian said. "Women have children at your age all the time."

"I know and the doctor told me it helped a lot and I was in such excellent shape," Emily revealed. "I'm nearing 40 though and pregnancy tends to be harder on the body the older you are, although being in shape does help. I might want to get pregnant one more time after the second, but we'll have to see, as I'm making no promises."

"It's not the fact that pregnancy is harder the older you are, because we're practically made to give birth or at least we have an easier time of it for the most part then humans do, so what's the problem?" Rhian asked.

It was a well known fact that Alphas and Omegas gave birth much more easily, even to multiples then humans did, at least for the most part. It was as if it was something they were born to do. There were exceptions to every rule though.

"It's the maternity leave not to mention I can't go out in the field once I get past a certain point in my pregnancy. I'm just too active to enjoy too much time off much like Spence is," Emily explained.

"Alright, I understand that," Rhian said nodding, as the explanation did make sense. Some people were just too active to enjoy lazing around, Emily as well as herself, fell squarely into that category.

"I don't have to take all my maternity leave, since usually we recover pretty fast from giving birth, so long as there are no complications, but still, more than a couple of weeks and I'm usually bored out of my mind in between the time I'm taking care of newborns."

"It does give you time to bond with your children though," Rhian said.

"Yes, that's true, but I didn't breast feed the twins we have now and I don't intend to breast feed this time either, as I want to get back to work as soon as possible," Emily said. "I'll love and adore any child I have with Spencer, but my job is also a large part of who I am."

"Yeah, that's true for me as well," Rhian agreed nodding again. "I suppose it is understandable when you really enjoy what you do and aren't just doing it for the paycheck."

"Well, it's nice to know you understand, because so many people I dated in the past didn't understand that my job was very important to me. I dated an Omega oh, years ago now that wanted me to switch jobs so that I could basically be a babymaker. Oh, I could have a job, just so long as it didn't require me to travel so extensively and be gone so much."

"I bet you put them in their place quickly, because it's clear that they didn't know their place and they believed that they were more important to you than they really were," Rhian smirked.

"You bet I did, and so quickly and harshly that their heads spun," Emily agreed with the smirk of her own. "I reminded them that I was the Alpha in the relationship, therefore, in charge and they were not allowed to give me orders. I told them, that they must not have been raised properly if they really believed that me, an Alpha female would give into their demands, just because they were men. I'm sure they wondered what happened, but it's not surprising to me that that Omega I dated hadn't found an Alpha of his own. He's lucky all I did was throw him out on his backside."

"Most Omegas have ways of getting what they want, but making demands to an Alpha is not the way to do so and they should have known better. If this guy you dated was at all intelligent he should've figured out more subtle ways to get you to agree."

"He's lucky I didn't tear up his backside before I threw him out, as it certainly would've taught him a lesson about making demands to someone with a much stronger personality," Emily said fiercely. "I'm well aware that humans have different ways of doing things, but demanding something from someone like me is practically asking for a lot of pain, especially when I know that demand is not entirely altruistic. I still have trouble believing he made such a demand in the first place if you want to know the truth."

"He probably didn't even think about the fact that you were an Alpha, because most the time you're so nice and though your personality can be intense, you also have a gentler side and I'm sure those Omegas forgot about the fact that technically, you were in charge," Rhian pointed out.

"If I was intense all the time I'd probably scare half the Omegas before I could say a word," Emily said smirking a little. "You've met Dave and you know he's usually a very nice guy, but he also has a fierce side to his personality that lets you know that he's an Alpha to the bone. If you know what to look for you know who's an Alpha and who is human and I would think that Omegas would know what to look for if they were observant."

"Yes, you would think that Omegas would've been trained from earliest childhood to recognize an Alpha, since the probability is high that they'll end up mated to one. I know some Omegas or Alphas for that matter marry a human and those relationships are very happy, just that the likelihood is that they'll mate with their own kind," Rhian said.

"Yes, I agree with that," Emily said with a nod.

The two Alphas continued to chat quietly before Emily drove Rhian back to the hospital to pick up her car and she went home to get a shower and see her children.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"You can't do this," Keating tried to reason with the three Alphas before him, Alphas with very determined and fierce expressions and murder in their eyes.

All three Alphas sentenced to die had their hands handcuffed behind their backs, tightly enough that they couldn't move their arms hardly at all.

"Give us three good reasons why," Aaron suggested with a fierce grin. "You have nothing to say that wouldn't be excuses?" Aaron asked after a moment when none of the three prisoners answered. "Well, that's not surprising, because there is nothing you can say that would justify your actions. We have enough evidence against you that we know you committed the crime that you're accused of. I mean Aimes really, there was a journal in your apartment with a list of everybody that offended you in someway and how you dealt with them. Everybody from your mailman to some of your coworkers. We found enough evidence in all three of your apartments and places of work that we know absolutely you are guilty, so you can't try to claim that you were framed."

"You committed the crime and yet you didn't expect there to be any consequences," Dave added his expression unreadable, but radiating a fierce and deadly air. "You also didn't think about Reid's eidetic memory did you, as I'm sure you never imagined he would wake up and identify you or even survive to make it to the hospital."

"You can't trust his word," Keating protested. "He could be just telling you that to get revenge on us or to turn the attention away from others."

"All of us would certainly trust his word over yours as we know what kind of man he is," Aaron said. "All of us have worked with him for a long time and he's not one to lie, as he's to honest and has to much integrity to do so, though I can't say the same about the three of you."

"Besides, we found a ton of evidence from all your apartments and places of work as we said before so we know you're guilty," Dave reminded the three Alphas.

"Being drunk is no excuse at all," Morgan said, looking extremely menacing. "You put my brother in every way in the hospital with injuries so bad that he nearly died on the operating table. Luckily, he's a lot stronger then most people give him credit for, but even so, he has weeks and weeks of recovery ahead of him and that's all because of the three of you."

"What makes it even worse, is it wasn't some unsub that injured a member of my team so badly he nearly died, it was three arrogant Alphas that are part of the same organization that all of us take great pride in working for," Aaron said.

"Why would you care he's only a walking dictionary," Keating stupidly protested. "He's someone that doesn't belong in the FBI."

"Just because that's what you think of him doesn't mean that's what others think," Dave pointed out with a fierce grin, causing all three of the prisoners to quake in there skins. "Do you really believe that he wouldn't have been transferred or booted out completely, if he didn't do what the job required? Hell, he never would have survived the training if what you believe is the case. He's risked his life on multiple occasions to save someone else and he's been put in the hospital a lot over the years and yet you think he doesn't deserve to be part of the FBI? He certainly emphasizes the traits of the bureau's motto, certainly much more than the three of you. Also, I know his mate Emily went over this that day in the interrogation room, but apparently you didn't absorb what she told you, either that or you refused to believe it, I don't particularly care which."

"I'm not denying he knows a lot of information, but that does not make him a walking dictionary or someone that deserves to die due to someone's jealousy, resentment and hatred that has no basis in truth. He's helped so many victims and cracked so many cases over the years, ones that likely would have remained opened or gone into the cold case files as unsolvable. You didn't even bother to find out basic information about him before deciding to take the opportunity to nearly kill him," Aaron said in a quiet and deadly voice. "You didn't bother to check the registry to find out he's under my family's protection."

"And mine," Dave added.

"And also Prentiss's. You nearly left my goddaughters without their father you pieces of shit," Morgan roared. "You nearly left Emily without her mate and if he had died then there would've been nothing stopping her from getting revenge on you. She would've done everything in her power to identify the culprits, capture and execute them."

"Something we would've helped her with," Dave smirked evilly rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"You broke our law, but you don't believe you deserve any consequences and are trying make us think that someone else could have attacked Reid to hide the fact that it was you that did so," said Aaron quietly, but in an intense tone of voice that made Keating, Aimes and Mandell more afraid then Morgan's roaring or Dave's evil smirking. "You're so full of arrogance that you actually believe that what you did to another living, breathing being was your god given right to do so and what makes it worse is it was done by other members of the bureau, the same bureau whose motto is fidelity, bravery, integrity, which are traits you definitely don't possess. It's the three of you that don't belong in the FBI and how you ever passed the psych eval is beyond me."

"It wouldn't've been too hard for three people who are intelligent, because those evals were a lot more primitive back in those days then they are now," Dave said. "That was a dozen years ago after all."

"Well, however, it was done, it doesn't matter anymore. Now march," Aaron ordered in a deadly voice. "You will get what's coming to you, what you deserve. Here's the first part of your punishment before you meet your fate and that's the walk of shame."

Dave, Morgan and Hotch marched the three Alpha out of the interrogation room and through the various departments of the FBI so that others would have a chance to see the three idiots that had attempted to murder an innocent man due to jealousy, resentment and hatred. The walk of shame wasn't something that happened often at least not within the bureau, as it probably hadn't happened in over 50 years at least. It took over an hour to go through all the departments before they finally got to the garage and Morgan, Hotch and Dave kept an eye on them for all that time just in case they tried anything, because it had been known to happen.

The reason the walk of shame was done was to remind everybody that worked within the organization what could happen to them if they attacked another without serious provocation. It would make anybody think twice or even a third time before attacking someone who had done absolutely nothing to them, due to jealousy or resentment. Of course, the humans within the organization didn't really understand the point of shaming the three Alphas like this, but one of the reasons it was done was to bring shame to the perpetrators who would hopefully, realize what they did was wrong, because it was believed they would have a much easier entry into the afterlife if they admitted their mistakes. Also it would shame the culprits families and make them stop to think before they thought about getting revenge, which happened sometimes.

"In!" Morgan ordered roughly once they had reached a SUV with dark tinted windows. It would be impossible to tell who was in the SUV without actually rolling down the window.

"Don't try anything, as we're watching you like hawks," Dave added his voice extremely menacing when he saw the three of them hesitate. "I've seen every trick in the book over the years so you won't get anything past us."

"We're certainly not newbies, that will expect you to do exactly what you're told," Aaron added with a fierce grin. "Believe me, we're watching your every move. Morgan would you like the honor of riding in the back with them just to make sure they don't try anything?"

"Sure, happy to," Morgan immediately agreed. "They won't try anything under my watch I promise you."

"I'll give you anything you want if you'll let me go," Mandell pleaded. "I have a mate and four small children."

"Might I point out, that Reid also has a mate and two small children?" Dave pointed out. "You certainly didn't show any compassion for what it would've done to his family if you had succeeded. His little girls wouldn't even have remembered their father considering they're only two years old. As it is, it'll be weeks before he can even hold them, as he has a broken wrist, an arm broken in three places and several broken fingers on both hands."

"Also he'll likely have scars from where one of you used a switchblade on them," Morgan added. "Getting scars in the course of the job is one thing, but to get scars from someone who hated his guts due to sheer jealousy in his immense talent or because someone believed he doesn't belong in the FBI is something else entirely."

It had been discovered that it was a switchblade that had been used to give Reid his cuts on various portions of his body and also that Aimes was the only one of the trio that carried one a regular basis.

"You should have thought about your families before you committed the crime," Aaron added, as he climbed into the driver's seat once he made sure that the three prisoners were situated in the back.

"If you had, then none of this would be necessary and Reid wouldn't be laying in the hospital in a great deal of pain, even with the heavy drugs he's under," Morgan added.

The ride was mostly silent, although Mandell was certainly crying quietly, as he had finally realized the enormity of his actions. He had been drunk sure, but he knew perfectly well that was no excuse. He had attacked someone he had considered an enemy, or at least someone he strongly disliked even though Dr. Spencer Reid hadn't really done anything to him other than show that he was talented and have a position he coveted. Really, he couldn't even be considered an enemy, because they had only encountered each other a couple of times over the last dozen years. No, he had attacked another sentient being due to sheer jealousy at the fact that his career had taken off while his hadn't. He had known deep inside that there would be serious consequences for his actions and even though he hadn't been the main instigator it didn't mean he wasn't equally as guilty in the eyes of the law, as he had participated in the attack. Unfortunately, he had been drunk enough that it had lowered his normal inhibitions, so that he had eagerly followed along with his two best friends.

"Oh stop sniffling you coward," Aimes finally shouted at Mandell.

"Unlike you, I believe Mandell here has finally realized the enormity of his actions," Morgan said, as he observed the sniffling man his face expressionless. "He realizes that if he hadn't followed along with you he wouldn't be in this situation, not that that means he's not just as guilty, just that he realizes he was in the wrong. That realization will make his trip to the afterlife much more pleasant than it could have been."

"We will have no more outbursts, do you understand me?" Dave said from his position in the passenger seat. "You will remain silent until we get where we are going, as none of us need to hear you yelling and being hateful to your co-conspirator."

Aimes fell silent sullenly and it was clear he resented being given orders, which was one of the reasons his career was at a standstill. Part of any job, unless you were your own boss, was the ability to take orders whether or not you liked them or agreed with them, which was only part of Aimes problem.

"Here we are," Aaron said finally, as he stopped the SUV.

"Out and don't try anything, because Dave and Hotch will be waiting on the other side and they'll be watching out for any tricks you try to pull," Morgan ordered gruffly.

Keating who was nearest the door obeyed and opened the side door hopping out not as gracefully as normally, but then his hands were handcuffed behind his back in such a way that he had trouble even getting to his feet.

"Now march!" Dave ordered with his gun in his hand, letting them know that he meant business. "If you try anything I won't shoot to kill, just injure you enough, so that we can get you where we have set up."

Two of the men obeyed sullenly, still believing that what they had done was the right thing to do and were not at all sorry for their actions, while the third also hopped out of the vehicle, but stood a little away from his friends. Just because it was a crime of opportunity and not planned did not mean that enormous damage hadn't been done, which was something Mandell finally realized and that he had allowed his jealousy of Reid's immense talent and sheer drive to turn to resentment and then hatred. He had done nothing to stem the flow of these emotions figuring it didn't matter, as he hardly thought about Spencer Reid at all over the next 12 years. He had never believed that a situation would occur where it would all come to a head like it had. He should have protested Aimes actions or at least turned away, but his most prevalent thought was that he didn't want to lose the only two friends he had, but now he knew he should have done what his first instinct was. It was too late now to correct his mistakes, so he would just have to accept his fate and hopefully, he would be reborn in a few years.

Hotch led the way and finally opened the door to what looked like an abandoned building.

"Well, some place you chose," Morgan told Hotch after looking around.

"It belongs to an old friend of mine," Aaron replied calmly. "He knows what we're going to do and he knows me well enough to realize I would never take this course of action unless it was more than deserved. He's also an Alpha, so he understands that sometimes the actions we're going to take are necessary."

"Well, it's nice to have friends in all the right places," Dave smirked.

"It is. The walls are thick enough that nobody is going to hear them scream, even if we don't gag them," Aaron said, smirking evilly.

"And they'll be screaming plenty in just a minute," Morgan grinned evilly, hitting his fist into the palm of his hand to show he was more than ready to get started.

Hotch, Morgan and Dave worked silently until their three prisoners, were handcuffed to objects it would be nearly impossible to move by themselves, not even with that kinds immense strength.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Dave grinned his expression not exactly pleasant.

What went on over the next few hours was unpleasant to say the least and there was indeed a lot of the screaming coming from those that were responsible for their teammates injuries.

Hotch, Morgan and Dave, all chose a victim and started to work on them and their cries blended together a lot. By the time they were done it was late and getting dark outside.

"Let's finish this and get home, because I'm sure Garcia and JJ are going worry about us if we're gone too much longer, even if they knew what was going to happen."

"Well, I'm the only one that doesn't have anyone to go home to," Dave sighed, but he expertly cut Keating's throat by way of answer.

Morgan did the same to Mandell, and watched dispassionately as the man bled out in just a few seconds, because he had deliberately sliced an artery, so as to end it quickly. He had been much gentler than he could've been, because Mandell, was the one that had realized what he had done was wrong. Mandell had still been punished for his part in his friend's beating, but it wasn't as bad as he could have made it if he set his mind to it.

"Now, we just need to load these bodies into the SUV, so that we can take them to the morgue. It's the right thing to do, so that their families have bodies to bury, which will help give them closure."

"Lets get it done then," Dave decided and Morgan nodded in agreement.

Morgan knew what he had done had been necessary, but it didn't mean he wasn't ready to get home to his baby girl and their children. He didn't feel guilty for what he had done, not really, but still, he needed something clean and pure to wash away what he had done to a sentient being even if it was more than deserved. He just needed time to process and he knew that Hotch and Rossi did as well.

The three were silent as they loaded the bodies into the back of the SUV, just piling them on top of one another not bothering to show any of them respect, because they certainly hadn't earned any in their opinions.

The drive was silent all of the way to the morgue as each man was lost in their own thoughts, two of them anxious to get home to their families while the third only had a dog to go home to.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

"So how is pretty boy?" Morgan asked immediately, when Emily visited the BAU several days later.

"Doing okay considering," Emily answered. "He's really grumpy at the moment, but I can't really blame him for that, you know?"

"You didn't leave him at home alone did you?" Morgan asked.

"No, his sister is staying with us until he's better," Emily promised. "I left her to look after him while I came here. She was just going to stay in a hotel, but I offered her one of our guest rooms."

"And it give you someone to look after pretty boy until he can look after himself again," Morgan suggested.

"Yep, though it doesn't mean I'm not still going to worry about him while I'm working," Emily admitted softly.

"Of course, you're going to worry about him, I'd certainly worry about my baby girl if she had been hurt, especially as badly as Reid has been. I mean, even an unsub never did so much damage that those three did and all because at the bottom of it they were jealous. Jealous of his drive, his accomplishments, his intelligence, his talent and all accomplished at a much younger age then they were able to manage. I mean hell, we both know that he could've started his own business and been a billionaire by this time and he's only a few years over 30."

"Yes, he chose to help people, but you know being rich brings out his own brand of crazies and the same thing might've happened just with different players," Emily said.

"Maybe," Morgan shrugged.

"So I'm going to go talk to Hotch for a minute and then I would like to see you and Dave in the conference room away from people eavesdropping."

Morgan nodded and said nothing, as he knew perfectly well what Emily wanted to ask him, Hotch and Dave about and he'd be perfectly happy to answer when they had some privacy.

Emily knocked on Hotch's door and was told to enter.

"What can I do for you Emily?" Aaron asked looking up.

"I just came to see how everybody's doing," Emily said.

"And you also needed to get away from Reid for a little while," Aaron questioned with a knowing smile.

"Yes, that was certainly part of it," Emily admitted. "I know it's not his fault that he's so grumpy, you know? Still, I just needed to get away for a couple of hours. I'm afraid Spence doesn't make a very good patient, but then none of the team does, so it's not like it's unusual."

"No one enjoys being hurt and he didn't suffer just minor injuries," Aaron reminded Emily gently.

"I know this, which is why I am not going to punish him once he's better for being a little unreasonable right now. Him being hurt so bad never should've happened, and so he has every right to be grumpy and hard to deal with considering how much pain he is in. I mean he can't even hold his daughters for God sakes, not with his broken arm, broken wrist and broken fingers. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," Emily apologized. "I'm just a little frustrated right now.'

"It's okay, I know you're frustrated. You and Reid have every right to be," Aaron promised. "You're right, it never should have happened, as all he was doing was headed for the subway from the bookstore to go home to you and his daughters. He was just minding his own business when he happened to encounter them accidentally. Perhaps, if he had left Barnes & Nobles a little earlier or a little later it never would've happened. It was just totally on accident."

"The thing that really frustrates me is we can't resume our sex life," Emily said more quietly something she'd never normally admit to anyone, but she knew that Hotch would agree with her and would understand her frustration, as the whole team was extremely close. Really, they were all family to each other. It also helped that he was an Alpha like herself, just a male one, so Hotch understood why she was so frustrated right now.

"I know how frustrating that must be," Aaron admitted. "Remember that time I had a broken arm, a few years ago?"

"I believe that you and JJ were been courting at the time, as I hadn't been on the team very long," Emily remembered.

"Yes, Jennifer and I, had been seeing each other and we had to be really careful for the next several weeks as my arm healed. It was a very frustrating time for us, but we got through it. I know it's not quite the same as Reid, because he's much more injured then I was, but still..."

"Still, I understand your point. You and JJ couldn't really mate until you were healed, although at least you could make out because it was only one limb that was injured. Still, I know you would've had to be careful not to hurt your arm any farther or hit JJ with your heavy cast."

"Yes, my arm was broken in two different places," Aaron said making a face. "That was certainly a very uncomfortable time for me and not just because of JJ, but because my arm itched constantly. It wasn't long after I healed that I proposed to JJ as she had been at my side through the whole ordeal and I realized I loved her. I had for quite sometime, but spending so much time together made me realize it."

"Well, at least something good came of it," Emily offered.

"That it did," Aaron grinned his expression sappy. "I'm grateful that my relationship with Jennifer is certainly working out better then my one with Haley ever did. She certainly understands the job better then Haley."

"I know how hard it is to find an understanding partner," Emily said. "I had trouble finding someone that I could settle down with and be happy. You don't want to know about the guys I dated before I met Spence. Let's just say they didn't work out for one reason or another and leave it at that. I begin to wonder if I would ever be able to settle down and have children of my own."

"So when did you realize that you loved him?"

"It started when we were trapped with Benjamin Cyrus. I saw how good he was in a crisis situation and I just wanted to protect him. The strength of my feelings took me by surprise."

"I understand that," Aaron said smiling.

"My feelings just kind of grew from there, as I watched him a lot more closely than he probably realized."

"Oh, I'm sure he noticed, because Reid is much more observant than we give him credit for," said Aaron. "He might have been trying to work out why you were doing so, as I doubt the fact that you had started to have feelings for him would have occurred to him."

"It doesn't matter," Emily decided. "We are together now and injuries or not it's not going to tear us apart."

"You shouldn't let what the Keating, Aimes or Mandell did, do so," Aaron said. "I meant to ask if Reid's mad?"

Emily knew what Aaron meant without him having explain so responded. "Rhian and I laid most of the stuff out in his hospital room that day that you told me to go visit him after I had seen Keating, Aimes and Mandell. We tried our best to explain the reasoning behind the decision to put the three of them to death and the very likely consequences if the situation wasn't take care of in a permanent manner. Both of us explained that those three could come after his family after Diane and Laurel and any other children we had by the time they got out of prison or escaped. It wasn't as if the courts would've given them life sentences. In fact, they would've been lucky to get ten years apiece. That kind of time is nothing, even if our race doesn't like being caged. I have no doubt at all that any time in a federal prison would only have hardened their already terrible attitudes and make them feel as if they had been wronged. Our race is a stubborn lot and a punishment such as going to prison isn't going to correct their behavior, we both know that, but then we also truly understand how our kind thinks, particularly the Alphas. I believe that he understood what Rhian and I were telling him, but he was also drugged rather heavily, so I'll have to wait and see. Right now, he doesn't seem mad, but that might just be because he is still under a lot of heavy medications."

"You probably frightened him with the talk of those three Alpha was going after his children," Aaron suggested.

"If it did, good, because that means he won't be mad at any of us, he'll just be relieved they can't harm Diane and Laurel or anybody he cares about," Emily said. "I can understand why he just wanted prison time for them, but in this case that would have been a bad decision and we both know it."

"Yes, it would've been a bad decision," Aaron agreed. "Making that kind decision with a human might very well correct their behavior once released from prison and even if it didn't, a human isn't likely to come after someone's whole family. However, that's not very likely to happen with our species, no matter how intelligent, particularly the Alphas."

"And also with some humans who seem to have a compulsion to keep doing what they're do if they're free to do so," Emily said and Hotch nodded in agreement.

"I know you want to ask about Keating, Mandell and Aimes and I promise you that the problem has been taken care of," Aaron said, smirking a little. "Their bodies should be at the morgue where they will be turned over to their families."

"Well, it was like you anticipated me," Emily smiled relaxing.

"Each one of us took one. I took Aimes who was the worst of the lot," Aaron said. "I believe that when Mandell knew he was going to die and we couldn't be talked out of it, he finally realized the enormity of his actions. He actually started sniffling, before we got to the place we took them so that we could work in peace. They, of course, tried to convince us just to let them go. Mandell mentioned that he had a family, but Dave quickly reminded all three of them that Reid also had a family. He also reminded them that Reid had done nothing, to any of them to deserve to be beaten so severely that he had multiple broken bones and severe internal injuries, so severe that he nearly died on the operating table.

"Good," Emily said looking fierce. "It's what all three of them deserve. I'm glad that Mandell at least seems to have realized before he died that what he did was wrong, as it will certainly make his entry into the afterlife easier. I'm glad at least one of them was able to show remorse, even if the other two did not."

"I want you to go home, relax as much as you can considering I know the stress you're under right now," Hotch ordered.

"I needed to get out of the house for a few minutes, as you know," Emily said. "Spencer is rather grouchy right now, not that I can blame him, as he's in a lot of pain. I know the pain medication the doctor prescribed helps, but he doesn't like to take them and I can't blame him for that either. Still, I make sure he takes them when he needs to, even if he doesn't want to, as it's not like he just has a broken arm or leg, he has multiple broken bones."

"So who's staying with him, well, besides, your nanny who looks after your daughters?" Aaron asked.

"You know his sister came into town when she heard how hurt her brother was so she's staying with us for the foreseeable future. She reports back to their mother every day and lets her know how her son is doing. Diana is trying to get emergency leave, so she should be down here in a few days as soon as it goes through. She has to wait until they can hire a substitute at the university she works for."

"Well, it's a good excuse to see her granddaughters," Aaron pointed out smirking.

"That's true, although she does visit in the summer, since Spence is the only one who's married and has children. She stays with us for about a month and we can go out of town for a case and not worry about our daughters. Not that we do since we have Edelle and she takes excellent care of them when we are gone. Still, Diane and Laurel are always happy to see their grandmother and she spoils them with trips to museums, bakes cookies, cakes, cupcakes and pastries and reads to them."

"They'll little young for museums," Aaron said smiling. "But as for the cookies and cakes and other sweets those sound really good."

"Yeah, they are a little to young to enjoy museums, but she said that she did the same thing with Spencer and Rhian when they were that age. Spencer at least vaguely remembers the trips because of his memory," Emily said. "Diana believes in starting a child's education really early as she says it will make them more intelligent as they grow. She thinks that education and learning are really important, even to a child in the womb. She has admitted to reading out loud to her belly when she was pregnant with Spencer and his sister and I have no idea if it actually had an effect on their intelligence or not, as both of them have genius level intellects."

"I suppose it doesn't hurt to get them started liking culture and things like that at a really early age. Diane and Laurel might not remember those trips, but still it will become part of who they are as they grow older," Aaron smiled. "And who knows your mother-in-law's method might actually have made her children as intelligent as they are or it could simply be genetics."

"I certainly don't mind as I know my parents did much the same thing or at least the nanny did with me my sister and brother, though I doubt my mother read out loud to her belly or played music," Emily said. "She's not the type to do something like that, but then Diana is an educator, so she would have theories of her own on how to make her children as intelligent as possible. Who knows if it actually worked or not."

The two of them chatted for another few minutes then Emily rose. "I know you're busy so I'll take my leave," Emily said.

"I always have time for you," Aaron promised. "I would have time for any team member that had their mate injured like yours was or if they were injured themselves. I am your boss, but we're also family and if talking to me helps you then I'm available to talk."

"Thanks Hotch," Emily said smiling a little.

"If you want to talk again just let me know," Aaron said.

"I'm fine now I need to get home. It's a good thing that Mandell, Keating and Aimes are dead though or I'd kill them myself for the pain Spencer's going through right now, not to mention my frustration at us not being able to resume our normal activities."

Hotch was well aware she meant sex and also playing the game both of which were essential to any mated relationship, so he could definitely sympathize.

"I know that Spence is frustrated to, although he has said nothing, but I can tell," Emily added.

"Of course he is. The fact that Reid's feeling frustrated with his current condition does not surprise me at all. He might not have been raised properly in certain aspects of our species due to his father, but those urges are still there. I know his mother explained about play spanking and also more serious punishment. Really, it is an integral part of our species to play spank our mates as it keeps other stronger urges under control."

"Yes, his mother explained everything, except a few things that a father is supposed to tell their sons, which you took care of a few years ago," Emily said. "We both have always enjoyed that particular aspect of our relationship, even Spence, although normally he's so logical."

"That's the Omega part of him," Aaron said. "That part of him is much more integrated into his personality then I thought it was at first, so his mother did a good job, even if it was really his father's responsibility."

"Don't mention that useless Alpha to me," Emily snorted. "He acts more human then a lot of humans do. At least a lot of humans have honor and integrity, but he certainly doesn't. I can't help wondering if he has a great deal of human blood since that's very possible. For all I know one of his parents or grandparents was human or even more than one."

"I know it hurts you to think that William Reid is an Alpha and it makes it easier to think he has a great deal of human blood, but I would think that Reid would know if he had one human grandparent or great-grandparents or even great-great-grandparents," Aaron said.

"Not necessarily, if the human relative was dead by the time Spencer was born, as I can't see William Reid mentioning it to his wife or his children. If he didn't fulfill his duties to his son then I can't him mentioning a relative or telling stories of him or her," Emily said.

Hotch considered that quietly then nodded in agreement. Even if William Reid had human blood from a relative within a few generations, well, that would probably still be enough to make him act like he had by abandoning his family. Well, either that or he had some kind of psychotic break, which was very possible actually, as not all those that had psychotic breaks turned into some kind of criminal, but it could make people careless of others.

"If you need anything let me know," Aaron said and Emily nodded.

"I will, but you and the other members of the team are welcome to come by just to distract Spencer from his pain whenever you have time," Emily said. "You can bring your children, so they can distract Diane and Laurel who don't understand that they can't play with their father right now."

"No, they're a bit too young to really understand that their father was severely injured," Aaron said. "I doubt that even Reid would've understood that he couldn't if his mother happened to get herself severely hurt at that age."

"I don't know if he would've or not, but probably not, though by four or five he certainly would have understood, much better than any normal child," Emily said.

"JJ and I will be by sometime in the next few days," Aaron promised.

"You'll always be welcome you know that," Emily said.

Emily then took her leave and Aaron watched her go thoughtfully, before returning to his paperwork.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Emily knocked on the door of the Mandell family and sighed. She wasn't looking forward to telling Mandell's wife and children exactly what happened to their father or mate. Alright, they knew, but Emily knew it was her duty to see them and she had been putting it off long enough. The other two families had been more understanding then she suspected and Aimes mate in particular seemed to be glad to get rid of him. He had apparently treated his family the same way he treated a lot of his coworkers and that was shabbily taking offense at every little thing, like not having dinner on the table whenever he got home, even if he hadn't told his wife about his schedule so she would know when to have it ready.

As for Keating's family his mate didn't seem to broken up either, although it was clear that the kids missed their father.

Now here she was at her last obligatory visit.

"Can I help you?" a beautiful woman ass opening the door.

"Yes, my name is Emily Prentiss..."

"I know who you are you had better come in," the lady whose name was Sondra said.

Emily stepped inside but made sure that she looked around, as it was possible to be ambushed by families wanting revenge for what they considered a wrongful death.

"Why don't you sit down," Sondra suggested as she led the way to the more formal living room. "Can I get you coffee or anything?"

"No thank you," Emily said politely. Once Sondra had sat down she continued with what she had been going to say. "I wanted to let you know the reason that your husband Ralph Mandell isn't here with you now. I'm sure that rumors must be flying around..."

"That's the understatement of the year," Sondra smiled sadly. "I know what you're going to say and I won't say that my husband's fate wasn't deserved, but really, most the time he was a sweet man it was only when he hung out with his so-called friends that that changed. Here at home, he was always the best husband that anyone had a right to expect, tender and loving and it was only when he was hanging out with Matt and Dan that that changed. I hate to say it, but I think those two brought out the worst in him. He couldn't seem to resist getting into trouble whenever they were around and I just knew that was going to lead him to a bad end."

"While I can't honestly say that I'm sorry he's dead, I can sympathize with your loss," Emily said sincerely. "I'm sorry that enacting such an old law was necessary, but your husband participated in the attack on my mate Dr. Spencer Reid. My mate was under the protection of my family along with those of Gideon, Hotchner and Rossi. Now, if my mate had actually done anything wrong it would've been a different story altogether, but basically, he just lived his life."

"I've heard of this Dr. Spencer Reid, not from Ralph, but I heard Matt talking about him to my husband and Dan. What he was saying wasn't complementary but from what I could gather just from eavesdropping, he had a real grudge against that particular Omega. I didn't really put much stock in it though, because Matt seemed to have a grudge against a lot of people and I couldn't see that many people having deliberately wronged to him like he claimed."

"No, he had a journal of people he saw had offended him all humans or Omegas," Emily said. "He just had a really thin skin and was petty enough that he wanted revenge against a lot of people. The only thing that Spencer did to him was prove that he was talented and intelligent at the Academy, as they were all in the same class. All Spencer really did was encounter them when they were drunk as skunks when he was heading for the subway from the bookstore he had stopped at on his way home. As it is he has multiple broken bones and he had severe internal injuries until the doctors repaired those. You're mate or the other two had no legit reason to attack him, although I do believe you that you're mate Ralph wouldn't have done so, if he hadn't been influenced by Aimes. I wanted you to know that he actually seemed sorry for what he had done, once he realized he was going to die, but he was the only one."

"I'm glad of that," Sondra sighed. "And just so you know no, I don't blame you at all for what you had to do, as I know the law just as well as you do and my husband and his two friends were the ones in the wrong. I just can't help imagining what would've happened if he had never met Aimes and Keating, particularly Aimes."

"I suspect that he would've been a better person if he hadn't," Emily said and Sondra nodded in agreement

"In any case, it was Rossi and Hotchner along with Morgan who took care of them as I was at the hospital. As sorry as I am for your mate's fate, none of us could have responded any other way and I'm sure that deep down the three that hurt my mate so badly were aware of this. Even if none of us had done what we were supposed to do my mother never would have let the three of them get away with an attack on her family, especially not when he nearly died doing surgery, as she's extremely old school."

"Let me guess none of them bothered to do their research," Sondra said in knowing tone.

"No, they didn't as they just took the opportunity that they saw before them," Emily agreed. "Perhaps if Spencer had left a few minutes earlier for the subway or few minutes later they never would've encountered each other, but that's just not the way it worked out."

"And also if none of them had been so drunk that their inhibitions were lowered," Sondra said sighing. "I know that if Ralph hadn't been so drunk that he would have walked away."

"That is certainly possible," Emily said keeping her opinions to herself.

"So how is your mate doing if I may ask?" Sondra asked.

"He's doing pretty well all things considered," Emily answered honestly. "He's going to be a long time in healing and he's very grouchy and grumpy, not that I can blame him for that. He can't even hold his daughters right now or read because of his broken fingers and broken wrist. I'm afraid that Keating's, Aimes and your husband really kicked and punched the shit out of him. Aimes also used a knife as we found one in his back pocket, one of those ones that's perfectly legal for a person to carry and the blade matches the slashes. Besides, their was also some blood that was caught in the grooves of the handle and it matches Spence's blood type. Considering Aimes fingerprints are all over the handle and no one else's, well, that's enough evidence alone that tells us that he at least is guilty."

Sondra winced and knew that Emily's mate was bound to be unhappy with the situation and so was Emily for that matter and she couldn't blame either one of them for that as her husband had really messed up and she knew it.

Sondra was well aware that playing the game and also having sexual relations were essential to an Alpha/Omega relationship, but Dr. Reid, wouldn't be able to participate in either one until he was healed. She knew that the BAU traveled a great deal which made those two elements even more important then in normal circumstances. She had feeling that their relationship was going to be rather rough over the next few weeks until Emily's mate was healed enough to resume their bedroom activities.

"It might be perfectly legal, but it's not meant to be used on human beings except in the most direst of circumstances," Sondra said.

"Yes, it's not meant to be used own another sentient being, but to open packages or envelopes or other inanimate objects not on somebody's flesh," Emily agreed.

"I hate to say it, but I can actually see Aimes doing something like that, as he always struck me as not only petty but rather vicious, but only if he could get away with it without being caught," Sondra admitted. "I tried to stay out of his way whenever he visited. I have to admit he wasn't my favorite person, though Keating could be okay so long as Aimes wasn't around."

Emily was rather impressed with Mandell's wife Sondra and felt she would have made a decent profiler or perhaps it was only her instincts.

"I want you to take this check and put it to use for your family," Emily said taking a check out of her pocket and handing it to the other woman.

"Oh, no, this is too much," Sondra said when she was done gasping in shock at the amount.

"Consider it compensation for the loss of your mate," Emily said.

"You didn't have to do this," Sondra said, as she stared at the check that was $100,000. "Ralph was well insured."

"Don't worry about the amount my family is very wealthy and this doesn't even put it a dent in it," Emily said waving away Sondra's attempt to return the check to her. "Put it aside for your children's education if it makes you feel better. It is the right thing to do to provide for you and your children since your mate is no longer able to do so."

"Well, thank you," Sondra said gratefully.

"You're quite welcome, but I'll be taking my leave now as I want to get home to my own mate," Emily said.

"This check will make things easier for us, so thank you very much," Sondra said as she escorted her guest to the door.

"You're welcome, contact me if you ever need anything," Emily said handing Sondra her card, before heading out the front door and down the driveway to where her car was parked on the street.

Sondra watched her guest go down the doorway, but finally closed her front door when Emily's car was out of sight.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

A few weeks later

Dave stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen next to Carolyn who had left him several decades ago. Before she had though, he and Carolyn had had quads, but his mate just couldn't seem to handle it, so left when they were three. His career had just taken off, both of them and he'd had far more money then she did and had threatened to sue for custody if she didn't leave them with him. He had pointed out that she didn't need four small children to look after while she was starting a new life elsewhere and that she was welcome to visit anytime she wanted. He paid her half a million dollars to leave the quads with him and Carolyn had accepted it.

As far as he knew no one was aware of the deal he had made for it hadn't been done with lawyers, for he trusted Carolyn to keep her word and she had. He had a career with the bureau, but what really brought in the money was the books he wrote. He had written several by the time his kids had been born and had done very well.

He knew that this was Diana Reid, Spencer's mother, but he had never considered the fact that coworker's mother would be so beautiful. She was blonde unlike Spencer who had apparently inherited his father's dark brown hair and eyes. Diana Reid was shorter then her son, so Spencer had likely gotten his height from his father to, as well as his hands, the breadth of the palm and the long elegant fingers.

Dave decided that he was going to ask this beautiful woman, who was around his age, out on a date and if she turned him down then he would be disappointed, but not devastated. Dave admitted that he had dated a bit over the years after Carolyn had left, but nothing had ever clicked because no woman wanted to deal with four small toddlers that were not their own. It wouldn't have mattered if Diana was 15 years younger than him or even 20 as he didn't care about age so long as they were legal, but still he tried to date woman who were least in their late 30s early 40s, as he was nearing 60 that wasn't really too bad agewise because they aged slower due to the fact that they lived decades longer than humans did. An Alpha or Omega could reach a 150 easily and sometimes even beyond that.

Dave went to greet Spencer knowing that his coworker was in a lot of pain something he could sympathize with, considering that the injuries hadn't been gotten on the job, but by three Alphas that believed they knew better than anyone else. Alright, perhaps, Mandell had regretted his actions when he realized he was going to die, but that didn't excuse them, though it did raise his opinion of the man.

"I just thought I come by and see how you were doing," Dave told Spencer.

"I'm fine considering," Spencer answered.

"Considering you're in a lot of pain, even with the pain medicine," Dave suggested.

"All I can do is eat sleep and watch TV," Spencer grimaced, "and really I need help eating considering my injuries."

"Yeah, those three really did a number you," Dave said his tone sympathetic.

"That's the understatement of the year, probably the decade," Spencer said his tone frustrated. "I know there is no point of whining about it, but while I rarely feel like violence towards anybody I could literally strangle those three if they weren't already dead."

"Spencer!" Diana said her tone sharp in warning.

"He has every right to feel like that, Mrs. Reid," Dave told Diana. "What those Alphas did was wrong by our laws and traditions and by the human laws too. He is under my protection as well as Aaron Hotchner's and Jason Gideon's to and that doesn't even include the protection of a very powerful house, since he's mated to a Prentiss."

"All I meant was I taught him not to be rude, as that can just lead to trouble," Diana said.

"Oh, he's a very polite young man, but he knows me well enough to know I'm not there to take offense, because I can definitely sympathize with his plight. We work together and we are friends, so he knows he can complain to me and I'm not going to be offended. Aaron would tell you the same or Morgan for that matter. He has four very powerful families protections even if Gideon's is more by reputation then financially. Keating, Aimes and Mandell didn't bother to check into that when they beat Spencer to a pulp and if they had I doubt they wouldn't've taken the actions they did, even if they still resented the hell out of him for no real reason. Well, perhaps, Aimes would have, as he was the worst of the lot," Dave explained.

"So Spencer said that those three won't cause anymore trouble," Diana said changing the subject.

"They can't seeing their dead," Dave said calmly. "Morgan, Aaron and I took care of the situation ourselves and although Emily would've liked to have participated she didn't do so Spencer's request. I know she didn't want to cause trouble in their marriage."

"I shouldn't've made such a request I know, as I felt prison time would be appropriate but I was under a lot of heavy drugs at the time and I wasn't thinking," Spencer admitted.

"Well, I'm glad you can see that, because you know they would've come after your family, perhaps, even your sister and your mother. It was just better that they were put to death, so they could cause no trouble, as you wouldn't want the death of your children or Aaron's or Morgan's children on your conscious, as it was very possible that they would have gone after them as well. Alphas like that have been known to eradicate entire families if they're offended enough, whether that offense has any basis in fact would not matter to people with that kind of mindset," Dave said.

"He's right son and you know this," Diana said.

"In my head I do, but not in my heart," Spencer said sighing.

"I could strangle your father myself, though I don't normally admit that," Diana sighed. "I've often wondered if he has several human ancestors close enough that he saw no problem with abandoning his family."

"I've wondered the same thing," Dave admitted silently admiring Diana's intelligence, though he knew that she had a lot of time to think over the years, as William Reid had abandoned his family before his children were teenagers.

"Anybody would that knew anything about our kind," Spencer said.

"You know I have no idea if he does or not as he didn't talk about his family very much," Diana admitted. "I know he had a sister but I never met her, which was rather strange now that I think about it, as she never even came to the wedding. Neither did his parents and I'm pretty sure they're still alive."

"Yeah, I never met my aunt or my grandparents either and it makes me wonder if they could be worse than he is," Spencer said.

"It's very possible they have no idea that your father married and had children," Dave suggested. "Not all families of our kind are close, though that's usually the case, so it's possible he just didn't want to acknowledge his family for some reason. That doesn't necessarily mean that he was mistreated as a child, but it's entirely possible they put too much pressure on him to perform, get good grades and the like. Of course, sometimes that's not the reason at all and the son or daughter just wants nothing to do with their family for their own reasons, even if those reasons are entirely selfish."

"I might have Penny look into that at some point," Spencer mused. "I would like to know some more about my family, even if I never go so far as actually contacting them."

Dave spent a few more minutes visiting while Emily wasn't there and then escorted Diana out of sight of her son.

"I was wondering if you would agree to go on a date with me," Dave requested quietly, since Alphas and Omegas had excellent hearing and he didn't want Spencer to hear him asking. It's not like Spencer could object really as both him and Diana deserved happiness, but he would find it mildly embarrassing for Diana's son to overhear his request, especially a possible rejection.

"I would like that," Diana said after studying Dave's face for a moment. "I'm surprised your not mated though."

"I was quite a lot of years ago, but we found out we didn't suit each other and she left leaving our children with me," Dave answered quietly, but honestly

Dave didn't mention the half a million he had offered Carolyn in order to get her to do so, as that was not only old business, but his business. Half a million was plenty to start a new life elsewhere, especially back when they had gotten divorced. Hell, that was a lot today even if it wouldn't last as long or go as far with inflation. However it was certainly enough to support Carolyn for the rest of her life, especially if she continued to work as well.

"My children are all grown up now and have lives of their own but we stay in contact. They've been urging me to get out and date again, but considering how much I'm gone for my work that so far has been unsuccessful," Dave explained.

Diana nodded at this recognizing the truth in Dave's words. "I'll be happy to go out on the date with you," Diana said formally. "I'll be here until summer's over at least, so that gives us several months to get to know each other."

"Good," Dave said happily

"Well, you're certainly happy at the prospect of me being here for a few months," Diana said amused in spite of herself.

"It will give us a chance to get to know each other before you go back to Las Vegas," Dave explained. "I'll be gone a lot of the time I'm afraid as the team is shorthanded enough thanks to Spencer's injuries, even though he'll be back in a couple weeks."

"I have plenty to do while you're not around," Diana promised smiling. "I love spending time with my granddaughters and I'm hoping for some more, though I haven't told Spencer or Emily that."

"You might just get your wish, because I've seen such a longing in Emily's eyes whenever we've encountered children on cases, so it's very possible that she'll have a couple of more sometime soon."

"Well, I certainly hope you're right, because I would love a couple of grandsons to go along with my granddaughters if it all possible," Diana said. "I know you can't predict what you're going to get and I know that boys, particularly two of them are much rarer then a boy and a girl or two girls, but still I can hope."

"Well, Emily is one of triplets, so it's possible you'll get triplet grandchildren if Emily does decide she wants more," Dave said smiling as he kissed the back of Diana's hand.

"One can hope for that," Diana said smiling thinking that David Rossi was very charming. That her son liked and respected him was very clear to her and that said that he was a good man, because he wasn't fooled by false charm. That her son respected the man was a large part of the reason that she'd said yes, to his asking for a date, because Spencer was a good judge of character. She had been lonely for so long now and even though her daughter lived in Las Vegas and they saw each other every few days it wasn't the same as when she'd been mated. She had done her best to conceal her loneliness, but both her children saw far too much for her to be completely sure they didn't know. Still, that might change if she and Dave got along as well as she hoped.

"I'm afraid I must depart, my lady," Dave said chivalrously. "But what about a date tomorrow night?"

"That sounds just fine," Diana said smiling. "I'll just make sure that there is somebody to watch Diane and Laurel."

"Here's my cell phone and house number and you can call me at any time," Dave said, as he reeled off his number. "If I don't answer I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"And here is my cell number as well as my house number," Diana said reeling off two numbers off the top of her head.

Dave input the numbers into his phone while Diana did the same and soon they were programmed.

"I had better get back, although I'm sure Spencer suspects what we've been talking about," Diana said smiling. "Not much gets past my son or my daughter for that matter. Still, I doubt he'll object because at least you're not a stranger to him and he knows you well enough to be able to talk about rather delicate subjects if he wants to."

"You mean he feels free to say he wants to strangle three Alphas for what they did to him," Dave lightly chuckled.

"And that could be considered rude at the very least," Diana said. "If you were more sensitive like some Alphas are then you could've taken offense at that."

"Some Alphas take offense at every little thing and Aimes, one of the ones that attacked Spencer, was one of them," Dave said. "Morgan actually found a journal in his apartment that listed the people that had offended him and I'm sure you can guess that they were all humans or Omegas. It was a very long list and also explained how he took care of the situation, so trust me, he was better off dead. Who knows if Keating and Mandell ever would have turned into what they were without Aimes influence. Mandell at least realized that he was in the wrong, but only after he was heading to his execution."

"Well, at least he did, while I take it the other two did not," Diana said.

"No, they were so sure that their actions were justified and right," Dave said. "Mandell got off more lightly then the other two as Morgan wasn't as hard on him as he could have been, all because he realized that what he had done to your son was wrong."

"Well, one of them anyway will have a much easier time in the afterlife, because they realized that what they did was wrong in every sense of the word," Diana said approvingly.

"Yes, he will," Dave said smiling before departing.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"How are you doing Junior G-man," Penelope asked Spencer, as she had come to visit him at his home a big old rambling house with plenty of extra bedrooms for numerous guest or children.

"I'm okay," Spencer answered.

"I know you're pretty frustrated, you certainly have every right to be, considering that you were just walking along minding your own business," Penelope said, "but you'll be healed up soon."

"Can't be soon enough for me," Spencer said his tone rather frustrated.

"I know, I know, but it'll only be another week and a half," Penelope said.

"I'm really appreciate you and the others coming to visit when you can," Spencer said. "That's made my injuries a little bit more bearable though not much."

"Believe me, I sympathize with you, as you haven't been able to resume your normal activities and you know which ones I mean."

"Yeah, I do," Spencer said blushing a little. "I never imagined I would say I miss the sex, but I do and don't you dare tell Morgan I said that as you know he would tease me forever."

"I won't," Penelope promised. "I know you're frustrated I would be to, if the same thing happened to me or to Morgan and we couldn't resume our normal sex life."

"It's not just that either," Spencer admitted quietly.

"You miss Emily spanking you in play," Penelope guessed accurately and was gratified when Spencer nodded.

"I never thought I would enjoy something like that, but I do," Spencer admitted quietly. "It makes me so hard that I just want to make love to Emily to relieve myself and that usually is what ends up happening, even if it doesn't I still enjoy it immensely."

"That's the Omega in you Spencer and you should listen to it," Penelope said.

"Mom trained me well, but there were just some things she just couldn't teach me, because those lessons are always by word-of-mouth and it's supposed to be the father that teaches his son those lessons. I don't know why mom just didn't get one of her friends to teach me those lessons, but maybe, she didn't feel she was close enough to any of them to make such a request," Spencer said.

"She might've been embarrassed to do so," Penelope suggested. "Our species doesn't like to admit to our mistakes, not even the Omegas for the most part, though they're more likely to than the Alphas."

"I suppose that's possible," Spencer said after thinking about it.

"Just think, soon you and Emily will be able to resume your bedroom activities," Penelope suggested.

"It can't come soon enough for me as it's been several weeks of frustration," Spencer said. "I know I've been rather grumpy and hard to deal with and I'm actually rather surprised that Emily's been taking it so well."

"She knows that you're hurt right now and all because of three idiots who should have known better, so she's giving you a lot of leeway," Penelope said. "She knows it wasn't your fault that you were hurt and it would be rather stupid to punish you for something that you had no part in. Now, if you had confronted them and they had beaten you up and put you in the hospital it would've been different, but basically, you were just minding your own business. Of course, they would've been punished for not walking away, but not put death."

"I've come to realize that Emily, Morgan, Hotch and Dave made the right decision," Spencer said. "It wasn't really my head that give me trouble, but my heart. However, I know enough of the history of Alpha's and Omega's to know that Emily and my sister were right in what they said to me when I was still in the hospital. It's such a waste though."

"Yes, it is, but you have to remember that they're the ones that attacked you with no reason to do so. You must consider the fact that those Alphas just wouldn't miraculously see the error of their ways, repent and apologize for what they did, as they still believed to the very last that they were in the right," Penelope reminded Spencer gently. "No matter what they believed you had done to them it was all in their own minds. Just think of it like they were human, as humans can get obsessed all the time and so can Alpha's and Omega's. You know how usually those obsessions end if they're serious enough."

"Except for Mandell, who did repent in the end, though I know that rarely happens," Spencer said in understanding. "They nearly always end with the death of not only the one who has become obsessed, but the one that person has become obsessed with, as that the only way to ensure that they don't just come after their victim for revenge, but that person's family."

"You need to tell Emily of the conclusion you have reached if you have not already done so, because she needs to know that you're not mad at her for what she had Dave, Hotch and Morgan do," Penelope suggested gently.

"She wouldn't've been able to stop them and I know that," Spencer said thoughtfully. "It wasn't a matter of let, not really. They still would have done what they thought was right no matter what Emily said and I can't be upset with Emily for agreeing with them. I know the mindset of Alphas at least in my head. Whether they were right or not about Keating, Aimes and Mandell coming after my family once they were released I don't know, but there is certainly enough past evidence to back up that assumption, even if I know that history was likely written by the writers."

"I'm glad you can see that Emily wouldn't have been able to stop them from doing what they felt was right," Penelope said.

"Well, you know I try never to let emotions get in the way," Spencer said. "Once I wasn't on such heavy drugs and I'd had time to think I realized that they all had made the right decision."

"So I've been meaning to ask you what do you think about the relationship between your mother and my Italian Stallion?" Penelope asked.

This was a question she had been dying to ask for some time ever since Dave came into work with a spring in his step and they all learned the reason why.

"I only know that he's a good man and he hasn't been in a serious relationship ever since Carolyn left him. I'm sure he's dated some at least, but considering the jobs we do probably not too much," Spencer said. "I wasn't exactly sure how to feel at first, but so long as he treats her well, then I'm okay with it, as both my mother and Rossi deserve happiness. Rhian, is okay with it to after she'd warned Rossi about hurting our mother and even though Dave is her elder by several decades. He took the warning too heart knowing that she did so because she loves her mother. He knows that mom has been hurt before by dad leaving and so he would understand and take my sister's warning in the right way. If they do end up making it a permanent arrangement then so long as he treats her well I'm okay with it."

"Dave's not the type to mistreat a woman," Penelope suggested.

"Not in the way you mean, but Carolyn did leave him after all," Spencer said.

"He was much younger back then and just got so involved in building the BAU that he forgot that marriages are work," Penelope said leaping to his defense, as she did have rather a soft spot for David Rossi. Oh, she loved her knight in the form of Derek Morgan, but that didn't mean she couldn't have soft spot for the other members of the team particularly Dave and Spencer. "I can't say whether she would've left or not if he had put more time into his relationship, but it's still possible it would have ended just the same. At least, he still had his children, as Carolyn left them with their father, instead of taking them with her."

"Well, Dave did make more money then she did even back then, as he was already a best-selling author," Spencer's said. "She would have had a tough time raising four children on her own, even if Dave paid child support."

"Which he would have done because he knows his responsibilities," Penelope said with certainty. "He would've paid child support without the grumbling that a lot of men do, when they don't want to give their money at their ex-wives to help raise the children they produced."

"I bet Dave was surprised that it was quads," Spencer said laughing a little.

"Why would he be surprised?" Penelope asked, looking at her friend questioningly

"Because quads are exceedingly rare, even for our kind, especially as they were born about the same time that my sister and I were. A couple of years earlier is all," Spencer explained. "Twins were much more common back then or triplets, but quads were exceedingly rare, though they still happened sometimes. I can actually see that leaving them with Dave as being a good thing, because Carolyn would have had a tough time starting over elsewhere with four small children along. She might have managed with just two, but four would have been difficult to take care of by herself, especially since they were still so young when the marriage broke up. If they had been older, 8 or 9 perhaps, it wouldn't have been so much trouble."

"That's a good point," Penelope conceded.

"I heard that Carolyn mated again and that she's very happy," Spencer said.

"Yeah, I heard that too, from Morgan who heard it from Dave," Penelope agreed. "I also heard that Carolyn did visit her children and they visited her once they were a little older so at least they kept in contact, which is something anyway."

"Something my father never did and he lived in the same damn town unlike Carolyn who moved to New York," Spencer sighed. "Carolyn made the effort to keep in contact with her children and to visit them as often as possible and yet dad couldn't even give us that courtesy. It's probably just as well, because I remember well enough that dad was disappointed that I wasn't an Alpha like my sister."

"That's a stupid thing to be disappointed in, as most children that our kind produce has at least one Omega in the bunch," Penelope said. "I admit that sometimes they'll all turn out to be Alphas, but that's pretty rare. All I can say is your father must've known that there was a good chance that one of his children would be an Omega, so why get all upset when that turned out to be true?"

"Emily and my sister believe that he wanted his son to be the Alpha and if my sister had been the Omega he might not have left. I know that he started treating Rhian as his son when he realized that she had turned out to be an Alpha like him and I resented the hell out of her for that at first, but came to realize quickly it was hardly her fault."

"Well, if that's true, it's just as well he left," Penelope said shaking her head.

"Yeah, it is," Spencer agreed. "If Rossi's and mom's relationship turns into a permanent thing then that'll be okay with me and mom is young enough to have a few more children if she wants to since our females can have children into their 60s."

"It would be considered a high risk pregnancy, but it can be done," Penelope agreed.

"They might just decide on IVF. Using mom's eggs and Rossi's sperm and finding a surrogate as Rossi certainly has enough money for that option," Spencer suggested.

"Hadn't considered that, but that might be the route they take, though of course, their relationship might not become permanent," Penelope said.

"If you had seen the way that Rossi looked at my mom as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even I he was very subtle abut it, I would say that the possibility of it not becoming permanent are slim to none. He was absolutely smitten and so was my mom. I won't be surprised if they start courting shortly, instead of just dating," Spencer said.

Courting was very serious among Alphas and Omega and told the Omega in question that if the courting was successful that it was going to become a permanent arrangement while dating wasn't even half as serious and was extremely causal.

The way that an Alpha told an Omega that they wanted a permanent commitment was to present them with a collar that represented total commitmentto that Alpha alone. It was an Alpha's way of saying that the Omega would be bound to them if the courting was successful. If the courting wasn't successful or it wasn't what the Omega wanted then all they had to do was hand the collar back to the Alpha and it was the polite way of saying that they weren't interested in making it permanent.

This was a tradition that went far back into the past and most relationships worked out very well, though there were ones that didn't. The Omega whether male or female didn't necessarily have to wear the collar, but they did have to accept it. The collar could also be relatively plain and therefore inexpensive or really ornament depending on the income of the Alpha in question. Knowing her Italian Stallion he would go all out, Penelope was sure and buy something tasteful, but expensive and Spencer's mother would either accept the collar or not. If Rossi actually wanted to mate with his mother then he would present her with a collar that was put around an Omega's neck by the Alpha's hand, that first time at least, but only if that Omega accepted being mated to that Alpha.

Some Alphas didn't want to accept an Omega breaking up with them no matter how traditionally it was done and that usually caused trouble for the Alpha in question, especially if they had powerful protection like Spencer did. This was especially true if an Omega ended up in the hospital with serious injuries due to an Alpha not accepting the formal words and actions. Dave wouldn't be like some of those Alpha's.

There was a formal and traditional way to tell Alpha that the Omega was not interested in mating. However, some Alphas didn't want to accept an Omega breaking up with them no matter how traditionally it was done and that usually caused trouble for the Alpha in question, especially if they had powerful protection like Spencer did. This was especially true if an Omega ended up in the hospital with serious injuries due to an Alpha not accepting the formal words and actions.

"You could be right and you probably are actually since you know human behavior better then 70% of other people," Penelope suggested.

"More like 78.4 percent," Spencer automatically corrected causing Penelope to laugh.

"So I'm going to go upstairs and see my goddaughters since they should be awake from their nap by now and then perhaps we can go somewhere for dinner since the team is gone."

"We can order something, because I really shouldn't be going out to much," Spencer said pointing at his broken leg."

"Yeah, you're right, we'll order something," Penelope said. "Still, that should come off soon and then you'll be able to not have to worry about possibly hurting yourself further while the bones are still healing."

"I can hardly wait," Spencer said fervently. "At least I've been able to hold my daughters more in the last week or so, then I could previously, as I'm not in as much pain."

"And you also had the cast taken off your wrist and your fingers," Penelope said and Spencer nodded.

"Which helped a lot as I could read to my daughter so long as I was very careful," Spencer said.

"So what would you like for dinner?" Penelope asked.

"What about Italian?" Spencer suggested.

"I know just the place," Penelope said that she took out of phone. "I'll just order a variety and that way we all get some of what we want."

"Sounds great," Spencer said.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

"It's good to finally be out of that cast," Spencer sighed flexing his fingers, then his wrist and his arm at the elbow.

He had just returned from the doctor who had removed the cast on his arm and leg. It was so good to be able to walk normally again without having to use crutches and to be able to move his fingers and his arm. He had been doing better in the last week to where he could at least eat by himself, once the doctor had removed the splint from his fingers, but still, he was glad to get them off as his arm or his leg had itched like crazy sometimes.

"Just in time to as you and I will be very busy for the next several days," Emily said in her Alpha voice. "Both of us have gone without sex or playing the game thanks to those three idiots. Luckily, it wasn't near the time of me going into heat. I've already talked to Hotch and we have the next several days to get reacquainted before we go back to work."

Spencer practically beamed at that and immediately headed upstairs Emily following chuckling at her mate's enthusiasm. She was enthusiastic as well, so she could hardly blame Spencer for also being so, considering they had been denied for over a month, through no fault of their own.

"I think we'll start with spanking, as we haven't been able to do so in about six weeks and if you knew how grumpy I had been over that period I'm surprised that the team put up with me," Emily said seriously in her best Alpha tone. "Get undressed, quickly."

Spencer did so happy that he was now capable of getting out of his clothes on his own when he'd had to have help before.

"On the bed, on your knees, with your butt facing me," Emily ordered and Spencer instantly obeyed, the Omega within him eager to resume their normal activities.

Spencer had never imagined that he would enjoy being spanked, but the Omega within him certainly did, so he had learned to accept and even love it. Besides, mom had explained that aspect about a mated relationship. Even if you were only dating it was still a part of the relationship, so it was something that he understood deep in his heart. It was essential to an Alpha and Omega's happiness, particularly if they were mated, Diana Reid had explained to both her son and daughter. It helped keep an Alpha's more violent instincts under control and also taught the Omega a lesson on a regular basis so they could avoid making critical errors that could ruin an Alpha or Omega relationship. There were just some mistakes that were unpardonable when it came to an Alpha's and Omega's dynamics and cheating on the Alpha or vice versa was one of them.

Spencer got into position and it was only seconds later that he felt a strong slap that made the Omega in him crow as if in victory and feel more comfortable then that part of him had ever since he was injured. He now knew with absolute certainty that he was loved and so it made his inner Omega relax and be very content.

Another slap came and his Omega was relaxing more and more with each thump of Emily's palm. Finally, after 10 slaps and Spencer's rear end was throbbing like crazy Emily stopped.

"Now, that that's out of the way and my inner Alpha is more satisfied than it has been for the last six weeks I want you to make love to me," Emily said, as she positioned herself on the bed.

"Happy too," Spencer said grinning from ear to ear. "I missed being able to do that."

Spencer knew what his mate wanted immediately, because Emily was letting him be on top. He was expected to penetrate her, which couldn't happen if he was the submissive and therefore, on the bottom. A lot of times it started out with Emily on the top and him on the bottom, but then they'd switch positions sometime in the middle of the process so he could do exactly what he was planning to now.

It was a pretty rare privilege for him to start out being on top and he was going enjoy every minute of it.

Spencer started to make slow and gentle love to her, but Emily immediately demanded that he be rougher, because neither one of them had had a chance to do this in a month and a half.

Spencer sped up his motions and pretty soon he was placing nips and genuine bites along Emily's skin.

Emily groaned and whimpered as pleasure surged through her, pleasure she had not felt in so long, that every nerve ending seemed sensitized to her mate's touch.

Finally, sometime later, finally satisfied after six weeks of abstinence.

"That was damn wonderful," Emily sighed, as she cuddled into her mate finally her sour attitude over the last few weeks vanishing.

"Yeah, it was," Spencer said feeling more content that he had in quite awhile. "I'm sorry, if I've been so grumpy lately."

"You had every right to be grumpy considering your injuries," Emily said. "All is forgiven, because I understand the reason for your grumpiness. I mean we couldn't have sex or we couldn't play the spanking game and all because of three arrogant Alpha males. Be glad, I didn't get my hands on them, because they would've been in even more pain then Hotch, Dave or Morgan put them in, before I finally ended their lives. The only reason I didn't do so, is because you begged me not to."

"I know," Spencer said. "I now realize that I should've just let you do what was appropriate to the situation."

"Well, you were under heavy drugs when you made that request and I know you were aware deep down that there was no way that those three could live. If they had been human and they had attacked you, prison would've been appropriate, but then, humans aren't likely to come after your whole family, although some do I know, but they're few and far between. Some humans might be stubborn but most of them anyway aren't near as stubborn as an Alpha who believes they are in the right, even when they aren't."

"I know," Spencer answered relaxing now that he knew he was forgiven. Luckily, Emily had understood his attitude was due to the fact that he was bored, frustrated and in a lot of pain.

"What do you think about having another couple of children?" Emily asked.

"I would love to if that's what you want," Spencer answered immediately grinning at the thought. "I know it was only me and my sister growing up, but I would've loved to have had a couple of brothers or sisters. I suppose, it is just as well, that didn't happen considering that mom had no trouble supporting Rhian and me on her salary from the university, but she would have if she'd had more. If she had one more then she would've had enough to support all three of us, but since our kind always have twins at least things would've been rather tight after dad left."

"Don't mention your father to me, because you know my opinion of him," Emily said her tone fierce.

"Yeah, I do," Spencer laughed. "If that's what you want I'll be happy to get you pregnant doing your next heat, as we don't need to wait too long since you're nearly 40 now."

"That doesn't matter since our kind can have children into their 60s, though it's more of a strain on the body, so that makes it a little bit more dangerous," Emily said.

"Yeah, my mom could have a couple more children if she wanted to," Spencer said, "If hers and Dave's relationship becomes a permanent one. I don't doubt it will really, as you didn't see the look on Dave's face the second he laid eyes on her. He was seriously smitten. So was my mother for that matter."

"Well, I always thought it was time for Dave to find another mate considering that he's been divorced for decades now," Emily offered. "Of course, the same goes for your mother."

"It's not always easy to find a mate," Spencer suggested. "Especially for someone like me or you for that matter, though in your case it's mostly the job you have."

"Yes, it's hard to find someone that understands being gone a lot of the year," Emily said. "I mean I was over 30 when we met. I love my job though, and I would never get mated to someone that didn't accept that."

"Well, it's a good thing I worked with the BAU then," Spencer joked lightheartedly. "It didn't take me long to figure out why you watched me so much, you know. I just couldn't help but wonder what you saw in someone like me, but mom raised me well enough that I figured that everybody's different in what attracts them and that it's subconscious for the most part. I was attracted to you from the first time we met, though I was sure that attraction would never go anywhere."

"I never realized that, so you are really good at hiding your feelings," Emily said.

"I always have been," Spencer said. "Thanks to my mother's influence I knew that I'd likely find someone someday, as I didn't think of myself as unworthy of love like dad implied more than once. I'm really excited to get you pregnant as soon as you go into heat, so if I had to be injured at least it didn't happen when you were about to do so or were only two or three weeks away from it.

"Yeah, it's only about three weeks before I go into heat," Emily said doing the calculations in her head.

"A little bit less than that, but yeah, that's about right," Spencer agreed. "We always automatically take the days off, because it's not like you can work when you do go into heat, since every Alpha male within 50 miles would be attracted to you and want to mate with you."

"I also don't feel like working with the cramps that I get around that time," Emily said. "It's not like an Alpha or Omega in heat can concentrate on their job if they are hot and sweaty, are in constant pain and having convulsions."

"Well, it only happens twice a year and you don't have to worry about your menstrual cycle like human females do, and you also don't have to worry about getting pregnant if we have unprotected sex, which is why there aren't many babies born out of wedlock," Spencer pointed out.

"Something I'm grateful for, though I know that our kind have a lot more pain than a human female does, since we always get tremors in our muscles. It's almost like being sick with a very high fever," Emily said.

"Well, at least it's only twice a year," Spencer said. "Just think human females have to deal with them every month and it can be painful, even if it's not as bad as one or our kind going into heat."

"There is that," Emily said, as Spencer had a point. "I figure you're going to have to take the time off anyway, so you might as well get me pregnant, since I can hardly work in my condition."

"It's a good thing that all the females on the team are on different times when it comes to them going into heat or the team would not be able to operate," Spencer said.

"Well, there was some humans working on the team at one point at least from what I know of the BAU years ago. It just happened that it's all Alphas and Omega's right now. I know females of our kind going into heat is a little inconvenient, but is not like the FBI can really complain, since we do have a right to have families. It's not like they can prevent females of our kind from working there or any government position, just because it's inconvenient that we have to be gone for a few days twice a year," Emily said. "Those woman's mates would have to take off anyway to be with their mates during their heats, so theirs no point of excluding at least the females of our species from working there. Besides, if the FBI did it, well other businesses or government agencies would do it to and then how could how a female of our kind find work, especially if they aren't mated? They have to make a living someway after all."

"It's just like taking vacation days really, though it's hardly a vacation," Spencer shrugged.

"I believe Strauss would prevent us from taking those days off unless we took them as vacation days if she could," Emily said cynically.

"Probably so. I don't like her either," Spencer admitted. "I didn't like her before, but I really started to hate her when I learned that she tried to get you to spy on the team and report back to her."

"She doesn't matter. She's human and she doesn't understand the Alpha and Omega dynamics or their biology, nor has she tried to learn as far as I know. There're certain rules you must abide by whether you're mated or not or risk getting yourself in trouble like Keating, Aimes and Mandell did," Emily said

"They always were arrogant tossers," Spencer snorted. "They tried every way they knew to get me to quit the Academy, though I did notice that Mandell wasn't so bad when he wasn't in the company of his two friends, particularly Aimes. I did notice Mandell did look guilty a few times when they pulled a particularly nasty prank on me."

"Well, they don't matter anymore as they're gone," Emily said.

"Yeah, they don't really matter anymore," Spencer agreed. "I'm ready for another round if you are, as I believe I have sufficiently recovered."

"This time I get to be on top," Emily said, as she immediately rose from her side of the bed and got on top of Spencer.

Spencer said nothing but waited for Emily to start eagerly, his cock already beginning to rise to the challenge.

Emily started making love to him and it was a long time later that Spencer flipped them so that he was on top, so that he could enter her with his diamond hard cock.

"That was even better," Spencer said once he had recovered from his rather explosive climax.

"Yes, it was," Emily agreed once she could speak. "I'm not really surprised though, because we've had to abstain for six weeks after all, due to your injuries."

"I sincerely hope I'm never injured that badly again," Spencer said his tone rather fervent.

"I hope not to, but both of us have been injured enough that it's bound to happen again, though it's unlikely that we'll be out of commission for so long as this time," Emily said.

"Well, just one broken bone we can deal with. It was having so many that about drove me insane," Spencer said.

"Or one gunshot wounds so long as would not hit somewhere vital," Emily agreed.

"Still, I don't want to be injured again for a long, long time if possible," Spencer said.

"That I definitely agree with," Emily said fervently. "The last six weeks have been an exercise in very slow torture, so I never want either one of us to be badly injured again. I know the team will be very happy that my attitude is much more relaxed now that we've been able to resume our normal activities, as they were walking on eggshells around me. I can't blame them either, as my attitude was terrible, particularly as the weeks progressed."

"I wish it hadn't happened, but since it did at least I'm finally healed," Spencer said.

Emily said nothing and simply started to make love to Spencer again. The two of them were quite occupied for several more hours before they finally drifted off to sleep completely happy and content for the first time in weeks.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"Diana, I would like to make our courting arrangement permanent. I know I'm asking a lot from you, asking you to disrupt your life in Vegas, but it would be my greatest honor and make me happier them I've been in many years if you'll have me," Dave said, as he produced a collar made of thick gold with gems embedded into the metal. It was also padded with thick fur on the inside to make it comfortable to wear.

"It's absolutely lovely," Diana said reverently taking the collar out of the box. "I've been lonely for years now, ever since Will left and all that kept me going was my children and my teaching position at the university in Vegas, but you make me so happy, that I accept your offer. I never imagined I would find love again, not after all these years of being alone. I've dated some, but nothing ever clicked."

"I do know, because I was in the exact same position," Dave said tenderly and Diana nodded. "You've made me so happy by accepting my offer."

"You make me happier than I ever thought I could be again, except when I saw my children or my grandchildren," Diana said.

"Well, you could have some more children if you want," Dave offered, as he put the collar symbolically around Diana's neck, to indicate that she was now his property. Diana accepted the gesture and didn't move until the collar was hooked in the back. After he was done latching the collar Dave bent over gently to kiss Diana passionately on the lips to seal their commitment to each other.

"I'd be willing," Diana said, "but you know it's harder on those that are older and I'm not a spring chicken anymore."

"I was thinking more along the lines of surrogacy," Dave explained. "I wouldn't want to risk you getting pregnant this late in your life, even though I know it's possible, so I've been thinking for the last few weeks anyway that we could use your eggs, my sperm and a donor."

"That's so expensive though," Diana said.

"Don't worry about the cost, honey, I can afford it," Dave assured Diana. "I'm a very popular author and have sold millions of copies of my books, which is where my real money comes from, instead of my career with the BAU and I've been writing since before my children were born. I love the four I have, but they're already grown up and have been for a long time. While they visit frequently they're basically out of my life."

"Well then, I'd be happy to donate eggs to the cause," Diana said smiling. "I think we should wait awhile though, at least a year so that we have some time to ourselves."

"Which is okay with me, since we're going to use a surrogate anyway," Dave grinned. "I also think you should go have an operation and have your tubes tied after your eggs are extracted of course, so that you won't go into heat anymore. I still remember how painful it was for Carolyn when we were still together and it can't be any easier on you either, considering you're considerably older than she was at the time."

"To get rid of my heats would be a great relief to me," Diana said. "I had temporary partners that were round my age, for when I did go into heat, but still, I'd rather just stop them altogether. It's not like I can use one of those temporary partners anymore and I don't expect you to stay home to help me deal with it."

"I would if it was necessary," Dave said seriously. "I would do the same for you that Spencer does for Emily, Aaron does for JJ, or Morgan does for Penny. You're going to have to go through at least one heat between now and the time we decide to have children, but still that's better than going through it every six months until you get to old to bear children, which could be another five or six years."

"They should stop around 65, but I'm about eight years or so from there," Diana said.

"So why go through eight years of heats when you don't need to?" Dave suggested. "That's 15 or 16 of them in that timeframe. If we want more children after the first time we'll simply have the doctor extract enough eggs and freeze them so that they're still viable and that way you only have to go through the operation once."

"And I can have my tubes tied immediately afterwards," Diana said thinking it was a very good plan.

"That was my idea too," Dave agreed smiling feeling so happy that he was nearly walking on air. "Personally, I don't care if we get twins or triplets or even quads like happened with me and Carolyn just so long as they are healthy."

"Quads are unlikely given how rare they are, but twins or triplets are definitely a possibility," Diana said smiling at the thought, "but only if you can get some woman to accept having three eggs implanted."

"I have my ways," Dave said mysteriously and Diana knew he probably meant to offer them a great deal of money, not that that was her business. Dave would tell her if she needed to know, even if she already knew what he was going to do hypothetically. What she thought she knew was nothing but a mere suspicion not solid evidence and it was Dave's money, so he could do what he liked. Besides, the surrogate was always offered a certain amount of money anyway and Dave would probably just double or triple it, if the person that was chosen gave them trouble about carrying three. When someone used a surrogate all medical bills were met by the couple that the baby belonged to, so surrogacy was an expensive proposition as there would be medical checkups, extra food and vitamins for the developing fetuses.

"Well, there's no guarantees that all the eggs will catch as it might take several attempts to get a viable pregnancy," Diana said.

"IVF has been improved upon ever since the 70s when it was first invented so it might not take more that the one time to get a viable pregnancy," Dave said. "The doctors know what they're doing nowadays and the only time it doesn't catch the first time or at least the second is if there is something wrong with the woman in question, the doctor is incompetent or there's something wrong with the embryo."

"Well, you sure do know a lot about it," Diana said her lips twitching.

"You can blame your son for that as the subject came up rather unexpectedly a few years ago and you know how he is," Dave said smiling.

"I should've known," Diana said laughing, as she kissed Dave again, which he returned with enthusiasm.

"So shall we go consummate our new, permanent relationship, my lady?" Dave asked solicitously with an eager gleam in his eyes.

"Yes, we shall," Diana said, as she rose from the very comfortable sofa she had been sitting on. Dave apparently went for nice and comfortable, as well as expensive furniture, but it was definitely very masculine. Since he had been living alone though, it was understandable, that he would outfit his house to his taste.

"So do you want to get married or do you want to just do it in our species way? I don't care either way really," Dave asked.

An Alpha's and Omega's way was simply an Alpha handing an Omega a collar of some type and then consummating it. This was the way it had been done for thousands of years, though in recent times some couples did marry in a human wedding ceremony for a lot of different reasons.

"I say, why bother," Diana said. "I was raised properly with an Alpha and Omega for parents. We just need to get a marriage certificate from the proper authorities, as they accept our ways or at least the laws say they have to, so I don't see any reason to go through a normal human ceremony. I went through a big ceremony with Will, because it was expected, since a lot of his clients were humans and would have been insulted if they hadn't been invited, but this time, unless we absolutely have to, I'd rather not. I'll be happy to plan any wedding for our children including Rhian's if she ever decides to get mated and if they don't just do what we are about to," Diana said blushing a little, as she stared at the handsome form of David Rossi who still looked quite young, even though he was nearly 60, just like she was.

"Well then, let's go consummate it," Dave grinned picking up his new mate in his arms easily. "I'm going to make love to you for at least the next 24 hours."

"I'm looking forward to it," Diana said, as she buried her face in the side of her new mate's neck and began kissing him there.

Dave growled possessively, as he easily carried Diana upstairs and into the master bedroom.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"So what are you going to do about your job at the university in Vegas?" Dave asked.

"I'll simply retire, as I don't want to start over, not at my age," Diana said. "I might see about lecturing occasionally at the universities here. I'll keep myself busy enough looking after my grandchildren while you, Emily and Spencer are working. I'm really happy to be moving to this area as I'll get to see my grandchildren more often."

"Well, I really think that Emily is thinking about having more and if she does you'll be plenty to do between our children and theirs," Dave said smiling. "I suppose you'll have to go back to Vegas and start making arrangements to move everything here or put it in storage and give notice to the university."

"Yes, there it is so much to do in a short time," Diana murmured feeling warm and contented with her new mate beside her. She was so contented actually that her inner Omega was actually purring.

"There's no rush, because I don't know why you can't make as many trips as necessary to take care of all the details," Dave said. "It's really not that long the trip by plane. You could either keep the house or sell it for instance. Who knows maybe Rhian will want it, since she lives in the area."

"Well, it's certainly a perfect place to raise a family," Diana considered. "I can certainly ask Rhian if she wants it, but on the other hand, there are many painful memories in that house for both my daughter and my son. Mostly for Spencer though. I know that Spencer will never want to live in that house, even if he lived in the area. I don't blame him for wanting to get away from Las Vegas as soon as he possibly could. With his eidetic memory, just living there would bring up every time his father scorned him or made some kind of nasty comment. I know he's mostly put those memories away, but he's also not living in the same house that he did for all of his childhood, so it was likely easier to do so."

"Living in that house after his father left must've been painful for him," Dave grimaced.

"If it was, he never said so, but it likely was, though it's not something I considered at the time," Diana said sighing. "I probably should've thought about moving, as I could've found an apartment with three bedrooms I'm sure, but it just never occurred me. I suppose that by the time Will left Spencer had learned to hide his emotions well, as I never noticed if he was unhappy."

"If there's one thing I've learned about your son is that he never airs his feelings to most people, so it's no wonder that you weren't aware he might have been unhappy. He might even have thought that he was protecting you by not speaking out, as that's something a child would do if they loved their mother or father," Dave said.

"Well, if it wasn't so long in the past I'd probably box his ears," Diana sighed. "It's too late to do anything about it now though, decades too late."

"Spencer turned out okay thanks to you, so you need to keep that in mind," Dave said, as he started kissing Diana again. "He might have a few hangups, but everybody does and he sure is one hell of a profiler. It's as if he was born to be part of the BAU and that's the highest compliment I can give him."

"Well, I can see that those three idiots didn't know what they unleashed when they attacked him," Diana said smiling glad her son had so many people who cared about his welfare, especially since his childhood hadn't been easy.

"No, they definitely didn't, because he's under several very powerful family protection, something they never bothered to find out," Dave said, "but they'll never do something like that again because dead men can't cause trouble and believe me, they're most definitely dead."

"Well, at least I know I can trust you to protect any children we have," Diana said.

"With everything I have," Dave promised with a fierce expression. "I personally, don't care if we have a dozen, although I know it will be a lot of hard work, but for our species we're still quite young really."

"Yes, we have a lot of good years left in us," Diana agreed smilingly. "And I don't know about a dozen, though I will agree to use in a surrogate two times at least, maybe three and whatever kids we get will likely be it."

"Well, that's enough to produce at least half a dozen, maybe more," Dave said grinning at the thought of having so many children. "It won't upset me at all to have half a dozen at least and I know that my four grown up children will be thrilled to get some half siblings. Carolyn and I were always intending to have more, but she decided that we weren't suited before we could. That was partly my fault I know, because I didn't put enough effort into our marriage."

"Maybe so, but it's at least half Carolyn's fault, as it takes two to make a marriage work," Diana said. "You couldn't be putting in all the effort without her doing anything to help out. That's one thing I learned with Will, as at first he did help out when he could, but after Spencer and Rhian were born things changed. Not at first of course, as it was very slow and subtle."

"I wouldn't expect you to do everything yourself," Dave said. "You know I have a cleaning team to that comes in once a week to make sure everything is clean and that arrangement will continue."

"I'll be happy to do some of that least, but this place is too big for me to keep it clean all by myself."

"Which is why I have several people that clean once a week. I hired them from of a reputable company and they've worked out very well," Dave said. "I could never keep this place cleaned by myself considering I'm gone all the time and since I have plenty of money to hire someone to do it that's what I do, so I don't have to worry about it."

"This place is really nice," Diana said.

"Thank you. If you want to redecorate I'm okay with that, as I did it to my taste, after Carolyn left," Dave said.

"Well, I don't need to do much, just add a few female touches," Diana said. "Personally, I like the style and with a few improvements it will be perfect. The furniture for example is really nice and comfortable and I don't think we should change it."

"You can do that while I'm gone," Dave said trusting Diana's taste and that she wouldn't make it all girly.

"I promise I won't make it all female," Diana said mischievously smiling kissing Dave tenderly. "We should both be comfortable here. No pink or purple, as I've never really liked those colors much anyway, except in small quantities and usually mixed with other colors."

Dave pretended to breathe a sigh of relief causing Diana to laugh. "I wouldn't do that to you and I have better taste then some women."

The two were silent for a few minutes and then Diana said, "We should inform the rest of the family that we've mated. I know that my two children will be very happy for us. Spencer especially will be very happy for us as he likes and respects you, so he didn't mind if I got involved with you. He might have objected to some stranger until he got to know them, but you're not. He wouldn't want me to be taken advantage of. He would just want to make sure that whoever courted me me had good intentions."

"Well, it sounds like you have a son who loves you very much," Dave said smiling

"He does, but I don't see much of him or Emily, except in the summers when I spend most of it with them and my granddaughters. Now, that I'm going to move into the area though, I don't know why we can't spend time together more often."

"That's certainly doable," Dave said. "I won't mind spending time with them both outside the job since I like them very much. I always thought that Emily and your son getting together drew him more out of his shell or at least it made him more willing to show his emotions."

"Spencer's always been very good about hiding what he's feeling particularly pain, worry or concern," Diana said. "I'm pretty sure he learned to conceal his emotions as a means of self-defense from his father's attitude. Will was always deriding him for showing emotion, so that it was kind of a necessary skill, because if he had known how unhappy Spencer was that just would have made him worse. I was actually rather glad when Will left, even though it hurt my children. Children should be able to show emotion without somebody making fun or showing their contempt for them doing so."

"What do you think he'd say if he knew that you'd mated again?" Dave asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"You know, I'm not sure," Diana said thinking back to her former marriage. "I would hope he'd be happy for me, but somehow, that's doubtful. Even though I haven't seen him ever since he left I'm not sure that he wouldn't be jealous that I have found happiness."

"Well, I doubt he'll ever know unless he decides to hire a private investigator and considering that you've had no contact that's not likely," Dave said.

"No, he's been out of my life a very long time now. Even if he is jealous I had every right to mate again after he left. I made sure that I signed the appropriate papers to divorce him, just so I was free to do so. Besides, he's the one that left, not me leaving him. For all I know he could be married and my children could have a couple of half siblings," Diana said.

"So what do you think if I introduce Rhian to one of my sons?" Dave asked.

"Sounds okay, but why do you ask?" Diana asked.

"Well, I just thought that maybe Rhian was having trouble finding a mate to settle down with. So many people are greedy and selfish that your daughter might just not have found someone she can be happy with, as she's doing very well for herself. She doesn't have the capital I do, but then she's also a lot younger than I am. I suspect she'll be very successful in a few years and that kind of money will be very tempting for someone to want to at least try to get some of it. I've always had to be very careful to watch out for con artists, as there has been more than one attempt to get me to marry one of them, but they weren't good enough to fool my profiler instincts and believe me, I used shy away from that kind of woman. That kind of thing didn't happen often before we met, because I was always gone for my work and didn't date much, but occasionally, it did."

"So you're saying that the same thing could happen to Rhian if she wasn't so careful," Diana said.

"Yes, because her business is much more visible then my career as a writer, because not many people, except for cops and other law enforcement people read my books, or maybe the occasional enterprising young person that enjoys that kind of thing. My books are also required reading in criminal justice classes, but really most normal people wouldn't be interested in them, because they contain some pretty gruesome details about cases that I've worked on. Owning a successful business, particularly a multimillion dollar one brings out its own brand of crazies. No, Rhian's business isn't a multimillion dollar one yet, but it has the potential to be so and some people will recognize that."

"Yes, I understand what you're saying," Diana agreed. "People will want to marry my daughter, not because they love her, but because they want to get a large chunk of her portfolio. I never thought about the kind of crazies that come out of the woodwork when somebody has a lot of money. Still, Rhian is intelligent and I know she doesn't tell me everything that happens to her, as she wouldn't want me to worry, but she is an Alpha female, so I'm sure she knows how to handle people that try to take advantage of her, just because she's so young looking just like Spencer."

"We're going to have to figure out a way for my one son meet your daughter," Dave said. "I would love to have some more sons as I only have the one and the other three were girls, so hopefully we'll have some boys. In any case, while two of my daughters have mated and I approved of the matches, my one son and remaining daughter have yet to settle down."

"Well, if they're around my daughters age they have time yet," Diana said.

"A couple years older, but the age difference really is nothing," Dave said. "I think maybe I'll tell James that I have someone I want him to meet and since I've tried matchmaking before I'm sure he'll suspect."

"So you're one son is an Omega then," Diana said and Dave nodded.

"He is, but that never mattered to me, as he is still my son," Dave said. "Two of my daughters turned out to be Alphas while the other one is an Omega like her brother."

"We can't use the same tactic for Rhian for she would resent the fact that we were trying to matchmake," Diana said.

"Well then, I think she'll be up here like a shot when she found out that we've mated," Dave speculated. "I can get James here, no problem at all, as all I have to tell him is I mated again and he'll want to meet you. He won't even suspect I'm trying to matchmake if we do it that way."

"I would love to meet all your children since you've met mine," Diana said.

"I told them all about you and they knew that I was at least attracted to you, but they don't know that we've mated. They won't exactly be surprised at the news, no, they'll be happy for me and want to meet you. Like you, I was lonely for a long time and while I had my children until they moved out and my work it wasn't the same as having a mate. My work was very satisfying and my children visit often and while they helped the loneliness it doesn't completely get rid of it. The only reason they haven't shown up yet is courting can be a delicate process and they wouldn't have wanted to disrupt things."

"I wouldn't have minded if I had met them before we mated, but still, I do understand," Diana said. "That's precisely the reason that Spencer and Rhian basically stayed out of it. Of course, both of them would've let me know if they disapproved of the relationship, but my son at least told me that if you were the one for me and we decided to mate then I had his approval. He said that Rossi's a good man and I know you'll be happy with him and that he'll treat you well and that's all anyone can expect. He then added that having me closer would let me see my grandchildren more often and that he would be happy for me to babysit."

"Well, I'm glad your son approves," Dave said chuckling.

"How could he not? My son was right you are a good man, which I've seen for myself over the weeks we courted," Diana said.

"I'm surprised you put up with me being gone so much," Dave said.

"I might wish you were around more, but this isn't a first marriage for either one of us. What we expect when we're young is different from what we expect when we're older and more mature. I have enough to keep me busy that I won't miss you too much, except at night. Marriage is a two-way street and while you don't necessarily have to work I know you enjoy it. I won't resent you if you're gone on our anniversary or my birthday, since we can always celebrate after you return. Celebrating it on the exact day doesn't necessarily matter, just so long as you don't forget."

"I won't, because it was definitely the happiest day of my life in a long time," Dave said, as he started to kiss Diana along her lovely, graceful neck. "I'll always wish you a happy anniversary on the day of, even if we can't celebrate it right then."

"Then I'll be perfectly happy to let us celebrate it after you return from wherever you've been," Diana said simply.

The two simply lay there for a few minutes before Dave started to kiss Diana again causing her to keen softly in happiness as Dave's kisses were wonderful and made her want him constantly. They made love for quite some time before finally drifting off to sleep content and happy, neither lonely any longer, like they had both been for years.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

"I'm very happy for you mom," Spencer said giving his mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You deserve to be happy after everything you went through with dad just leaving like he did."

"Thank you, son," Diana said, as she returned her son's hug.

"You're quite welcome," Spencer smiled. "Congratulations Rossi. I'm very happy for you as well."

"Thank you," Dave said graciously knowing that Reid was being very sincere and that he was genuinely happy for them. "Isn't it about time you called me Dave though? At least when we're not working."

"I can do that," Spencer said feeling honored. "Thank you for making my mom so happy. I haven't seen her this happy in a long time."

"You're quite welcome, as she's made me very happy as well," Dave said.

"You deserve to be happy to," Spencer said smiling slightly. "Being mated myself has made me realize that no one of our kind is truly fulfilled unless they are in a happy relationship like Emily and I are. I was certainly happy with my work at the BAU, but that's different from being happy in your personal life."

"Now that's something I agree with," Dave said smiling. "So is it something you want to tell Diana and me, you seem awfully happy about something."

"I should've known you'd figure it out," Spencer said smiling a little. "I shouldn't tell you until Emily's here, but since I know you'll pester me I until I tell you I suppose, I should reveal, that she's pregnant."

"Oh, Spencer, this is wonderful," Diana said enthusiastically.

"Congratulations," Dave said, shaking Spencer's hand heartily.

"We just had it confirmed a few days ago," Spencer said now grinning from ear to ear. "Emily just went to her heat a couple weeks back and we knew that it was a near certainty that she'd be pregnant afterwards, since we didn't use any type of protection on purpose."

"I'm very happy for you son," Diana said smiling widely.

"Thank you, I'm very happy for myself," Spencer said grinning. "Emily just decided that she wanted a couple more before she got too old to bear them safely and I wasn't about to object, since I've been wanting more, but it's also Emily's decision, as it's her body after all. If she had wanted to stop after just one pregnancy then I would've been satisfied with that, but she brought the subject up after I had gotten my casts off and I was finally healed from what Keating, Aimes and Mandell did to me. I believe she had been thinking about it for awhile, but didn't want to bring it up until after I was all healed up. I'm only glad that Emily wasn't anywhere near going into heat when those three attacked me like they did, because she would've had to go through it by herself, which is always more difficult then having someone help you.

"Yes, it gets more difficult the older you get if you don't have anybody to help you with them," Diana said. "I know females of our kind can get pregnant up to 65, but that's not always the safest option unless you don't find somebody to settle down with until late in life. It can turn out alright being pregnant that late, but not always."

"Which is why I hope that you aren't going to take that option," Spencer said looking at his mother and Dave. "I know that Dave wouldn't want to lose you do to something that's preventable and I wouldn't either and not just because your grandchildren wouldn't even remember their grandmother. They are so young right now they they likely wouldn't even have vague memories of you."

"We've already talked about this," Dave said calmly, as he kissed Diana's cheek. "We agreed on using a surrogate."

"Well, that's a relief," Spencer said nodding his relief obvious, "I'll be happy to have some half siblings and I know Rhian will too."

"I plan on having my tubes tied after my eggs are extracted, so I won't have heats anymore, since I still have about eight more years before they would stop," Diana added.

"Well, there's no reason for you to go through that kind of pain if you're not going to have anymore children of your body," Spencer said. "Believe me, I know how painful it is, since I see Emily go through it twice a year and I'm only glad it isn't more often than that, as I hate seeing her in so much agony."

"Our kind always do hate to see our mate's in such agony if we really love them," Dave said. "You love Emily and therefore, you hate to see her in pain."

"That I do," Spencer agreed soberly. "Still, she can do what you're planning to mom once we are done having children, so she doesn't have to put up with them until she's 65. I believe that Emily will want to get pregnant at least one more time after this one, but I'm not positive, so don't go taking it as a sure thing."

"Still, you know her very well, so you're possibly right," Dave said.

"Probably, but still it's her decision along with me of course," Spencer said. "If she decides against having anymore I'll be happy with what I have."

"I wanted more, but Will didn't seem interested," Diana sighed. "I think he felt like two was plenty and that we didn't need anymore and my desires didn't enter into it. It was a very unequal relationship, I can see that now. We barely ever discussed any decisions that were to be made and he often made them without consulting me or even telling me that there was a decision to be made. He was the Alpha in the relationship yes, but he was a poor one. Technically, Dave now owns me, but he's never treated me as anything but an equal."

"Why should I?" Dave asked. "If I treated you shabbily, like your former husband did, then you would want to be released from our mating and I love you too much to treat you like a nonentity or a slave."

"Will was like that at first," Diana sighed, "but he changed subtly, as I told you awhile back, after Spencer and Rhian were born. I've never been sure what caused that change, whether it was having kids, stress at work or some other cause. I know that he wanted both his children to be Alphas, but the likelihood of that happening are slim at best, so Will had to have known that because he was raised in a traditional family as far as I know. He never talked much about his family and I never met any of his siblings."

"The chances of having all Alphas, are approximately about 20%," Spencer said.

"Which means it doesn't happen very often," Dave said. "Genetics are rather tricky anyway, so your former mate should have been grateful that both his children were healthy."

"I think he would've been happier if Spencer had turned out to be the Alpha and if he had to have an Omega he would rather it be his daughter then his son," Diana said.

"I've always suspected that was the case," Spencer said. "I still remember how he treated Rhian from the minute he figured out that she had taken after him. I was basically forgotten, except when he was insulting me, while he spoiled her. I resented Rhian at first, but I soon got over myself by realizing it wasn't her fault that dad treated her so well and not both of us."

"That you could come to such a conclusion at such a young age says a lot about you," Dave said.

"Yes, it does and I'm sorry that Will did that to you," Diana said. "He shouldn't have, we all know that, but what could I really do to prevent it, as he didn't listen to me, not after the first bloom of our lust had worn off. I realize that's all it was now, not love like I have with Dave, but just lust and attraction. Still, it gave me you Spencer and your sister, so it was worth it for that alone, even if I'm sorry that he didn't treat you right after you hit five."

"That's usually when Alpha traits start showing up," Dave realized.

"Exactly and Will realized that his son was an Omega, though I realize that sometimes Alpha traits show up a little early or little late, but five is the average age," Diana said.

"This is a happy occasion, so let's not worry about William Reid," Dave said the name with such scorn that Diana at least stared at him, but could still understand how her mate felt. "I will gladly give respect when it's due," Dave explained, "but as far as I'm concerned you're former husband deserves none. He did not fulfill his responsibilities to his family, he did not treat his children with love and he spoiled one over the other and just because his daughter was an Alpha. This is not how a Alpha should behave. If an Alpha decides that he has to have a divorce, because he no longer loves their spouse, for whatever the reason may be, the least he could do was spend time with his children and assure them that he loves them. I won't say divorce is uncommon among our kind, but most Alphas show responsibility to their children at least. Diana had a good job, so she could support her son and daughter, but sometimes, the wife is a homemaker and doesn't have any income. For an Alpha to leave his mate, the person he swore to love and cherish, without at least paying child support is very sinful in our community. We need money in order to put food in our bellies and clothes on our backs and most people aren't as well off as I am or as William Reid is, as lawyers make plenty if they are any good at what they do. Carolyn may have decided we didn't suit each other, but I made sure that she had enough money to get started elsewhere, as it was the responsible thing to do, even though she had a good job as a doctor."

"I never thought of it like that," Diana finally said. "I never thought about what Will did as being shameful, but you're right that Alphas have certain responsibilities. They have to make sure that their former mate has enough money to live on and if they don't take the children with them that they pay child support. I did have a good job, but many of our kind do not, so they're totally dependent on the Alpha to look after them. Personally, I've never been one to just allow somebody else to take care of my every need. I'm glad I was not, as I would have had no way to support my children after Will left if I had been."

"Since you bring up your job what are you going to do about your teaching position?" Spencer asked.

"I'm going to retire, as I have put in enough years to do so," Diana said. "I don't even care about the retirement package, because not only do I have plenty for my needs Dave would never allow me to go without."

"Definitely not," Dave immediately agreed. "It is an Alpha's responsibility to look after their Omega's needs and even though Diana has money of her own, it's still my responsibility. I know some Alphas don't do that nowadays, but looking after my mate's needs was drummed into my head from the time I was small, so you can say I'm extremely old-fashioned in that area."

"That's the way it should be," Emily said finally coming back from the saloon where she had her hair and nails done, a privilege she didn't get too often due to traveling so much.

"You look spectacular," Spencer said, as he kissed her lightly.

"Thank you," Emily said smiling.

"A certain little birdy told me that you were pregnant," Diana said smiling.

"Spencer has a big mouth," Emily said smiling.

"Dave noticed that there was something different about me and you know how well the team knows each other," Spencer defended himself. "Most people wouldn't have noticed there was anything different about me, but Dave is a profiler for a reason and he knows me. I couldn't have kept it to myself after he noticed."

"No, he couldn't, because I would have kept at him until he revealed all," Diana said smiling.

"You see I had no choice, but to tell them," Spencer laughed. "I wanted to wait until you got home, but they wouldn't let me."

"So I see," Emily said still smiling. "Yes, I'm pregnant and we know I'm having triplets, but it's much too early to tell the sexes."

"I remember that much from when Carolyn was pregnant with quadruplets," Dave said. "We couldn't tell how many she was carrying not until it was the end of the first trimester, but that was almost 30 years ago and technology has improved a great deal since then."

"So I will get three grandchildren."

"Yes, you will and I'm hoping for at least one boy this time," Emily said smiling. "I adore my daughters, I'm not denying it, but still, I would like at least one son if possible."

"There's a good chance you'll get your wish," Spencer said. "Actually, that's my wish to, as I would love to have a son, but if we get all girls then that's okay to."

"The odds are good anyway," Diana said. "You should be able to tell the sex at the 8 week mark."

"So what are you two doing here? It's not that we're not happy to see you..." Emily said.

"We came to tell you that Diana accepted my offer to become my mate," Dave said. "So she'll be moving here to the Virginia area, though I know it will take time to deal with everything she has to do back home."

"I'm so happy for you," Emily said clearly happy at the news.

"Thank you, I'm very happy," Diana said looking at Dave adoringly. "I certainly didn't expect to find love when I came up here, because my son had been injured by three idiots."

Even Spencer snorted at the description of Keating, Aimes and Mandell, mostly because he agreed with his mother's comment about them being idiots.

"Yes, thank you, I certainly didn't expect to find love either," Dave said. "We were even talking about having some children, though we'll be using a surrogate, as I won't risk Diana getting pregnant, even though she still can."

"I agreed with that, because while I can still conceive and bear children it would be a much higher risk then if I was even a decade younger," Diana said.

"I definitely understand that," Emily agreed. "It's one of the reasons I wanted to have some more children while the risk was minimal. I admit, I could use a surrogate, but why, when I'm still young enough to bear them myself?"

"And I've already said I would love some half siblings now that I know my mother isn't going to be carrying them," Spencer told Emily who nodded.

She understood the Spencer would have been very worried if his mother had gotten pregnant, even though it was still possible, as Diana still had a few more years before she would be past that stage in her life. A lot of women got pregnant at Diana's age and came through it just fine, but still the risk was much higher then for a younger woman.

"Well, Diana and I have agreed to wait at least a year before we get that project underway," Dave said smiling. "We need to get used to living together and being mated for one thing and waiting a year will give us time to solidify our relationship without having to worry about children. Neither Diana or I would have suggested that course of action if she was going to be the one carrying them, as we would want to have children right away."

"Well, Spencer and I certainly waited a little while to have Diane and Laurel," Emily said. "But then our relationship was different, because we already knew each other very well before we mated."

"Considering we worked together sometimes for 16 hours a day it's no wonder we knew each other so well by the time you asked me to become your mate," Spencer said. "We had been courting on and off as often as we could manage for sometime before that."

"It wasn't really like a traditional courtship, mostly because of the jobs we had, but it was enough for us," Emily said.

"And that's all that matters," Dave said firmly. "I did the same thing as I've been courting Diana for most of her time here in Virginia and I was gone a lot of the time. She accepted the fact that I had a job I loved and I wasn't about to change it. If she had demanded I do so our dating would have ended before we even began a formal courtship."

"I would never do that," Diana protested.

"I know that, I was just pointing out that a lot of Omega's would," Dave assured her and Diana relaxed. "I believe you said that neither one of us was to young to control our lust and love for each other, nor did we need to be constantly together. We are both on our second and last marriages as far as I'm concerned and I believe both of us learned from our first ones."

"I definitely did," Diana agreed. "I learned not to be dazzled by a handsome man that paid me all sorts of attention. I won't say my courtship with Will was fast, but it didn't take as much time as it could have. I've become a much better judge of character over the years then I was when I was young. That Spencer approved of you Dave, let me know that I didn't need to be so cautious and judge your intentions before I allowed myself to become close. You knew him much better than I did at that point," Diana added in an aside to her son.

"I understand," Spencer said.

"So thank you for paving the way. Your approval certainly helped, so that our courtship didn't take as long as it could have," Dave said and Spencer nodded.

"You're welcome and so long as mom is happy then I'm satisfied. Mom's happiness is all that matters to me and I know that Rhian will agree. She had such a hard time with her ex-husband that she deserves to be happy for the rest of her life," Spencer said. Dave knew that in his own way, Spencer was warning him to treat his mother right, but since he had every intention of doing so he didn't take offense.

"I can't wait for my grandchildren to get here in a few months," Diana said smiling.

"The time will pass fast," Emily said. "I'm not looking forward to maternity leave however, or not going out in the field when I'm four, maybe five months along."

"I can't blame you, since some people are just too active to enjoy too much idle time," Diana said.

"Still, it'll be worth it in the end.

"I know that and yes, it will most definitely be worth it," Emily said.

"So are you going to have anymore after this? Maybe in a couple years?" Diana asked.

"I don't know," Emily admitted. "All I can say right now is maybe. I'll see how this pregnancy goes before I make any decisions. I know our kind usually gives birth pretty easily, but still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. It's not really that I'm worried about though, but whether or not the maternity leave will drive me insane or not."

"I know exactly how you feel," Diana laughed. "When I had my two I was still very young and definitely more active. Since it was over 30 years ago I've calmed down a lot since then."

"Still, you're really young for one of our kind," Emily said Diana nodded.

"I know, but still, I'm more mature now and I know how to make more efficient use of my energy and restlessness, which likely won't happen this time around, especially since I won't be carrying them. I'll keep myself busy enough when Dave's gone, by looking after my grandchildren and taking them out to different places, which should be enough to keep me occupied," Diana said. "I'm also going to see if I can do some lecturing."

"Well, I think that'll be perfect for you if you're really determined to retire instead of just getting another position at a university here," Spencer said.

"Yes, I'm going to retire as I've already made that decision," Diana said. "Now, I know that my job wouldn't take up as much time as Dave's does, but still, I want to be home whenever he is, so we can spend as much time together as possible considering our busy lives. As things stand we're not going to see each other as much as we would like due to the nature of the job he chose. As I said earlier that's okay, as neither one of us is so immature or young that our emotions overwhelm us that we have to be together every second."

"We'll stay in contact over phone calls and texting while I'm working and will probably have a conversation once we're done for the night so long as it's not too late," Dave said.

"I don't care how late it is, because I can always take a nap during the day," Diana said. "I'm something of a night owl anyway as you're aware of."

Dave nodded in acknowledgment knowing this very well. Diana seemed to be able to survive on only four or five hours of sleep a night, but sometimes, she did take naps in the middle of the day. Of course, she had lived alone for a lot of years after her first husband had left her so those habits might've developed due to insomnia. Insomnia often developed when a person had gotten divorced and they were used to sleeping with someone. While Diana might've had temporary lovers once in awhile that might've helped at the time once the relationship had ended the insomnia had likely come back. Diana seemed to sleep well ever since they had started sharing a bed, but when he was gone he knew she suffered from insomnia and was often up half the night.

"So what do you two think about me introducing Rhian to my son James," Dave asked Emily and Spencer.

"Why?" Spencer asked genuinely puzzled an unusual event for him.

"Get a clue, Spence," Emily told her mate. "Dave is playing his hand at matchmaker."

Spencer looked startled like that possibility had never occurred to him and it probably hadn't Diana acknowledged, as her son wasn't one to meddle in the affairs of others.

"Well, I don't mind really, but I'm not sure how well Rhian will take anyone's interference in her love life," Spencer said.

"That's why we're going to have to be subtle son," Diana said smiling. "She won't respond well to outside interference, so we're going to have to pretend they met by accident or at least that we're not trying to matchmake."

"Getting James here isn't going to be a problem," Dave said.

"And your sister will come running when she finds out that Dave and I have mated," Diana added.

"So it's like they're going to meet by accident or at least not like it was prearranged," Spencer said in understanding.

"Exactly," Dave said smiling. "Now nothing might happen between them, but in many ways the two of them are similar and James is an Omega while Rhian is an Alpha. Believe me, James has dated a lot of Alphas over the last decade or so, but since he still hasn't settled down, well, that ought to tell you that he just hasn't found the right one to do that with. I won't say he's lonely, because he's only a couple years older than you are Spencer, but I would like to see him settled down with a mate of his own and my one daughter that isn't mated to of course."

"Being single is okay for a few years, but most of our race are mated by the time they're 35 to 40," Emily said.

"And a large portion of those are mated by the time they are in their early to late 20s," Spencer acknowledged. "Of course, those relationships might not work out, but a lot of times they do."

"We just do better with a life partner then by ourselves and that includes both Alphas and Omega's," Diana said. "We can certainly live by ourselves if our mate dies or leaves or never mated in the first place, but it's not the same as coming home to someone that loves you."

"To feel encompassed by our mate's loving presence," Spencer said. "I feel sorry for anyone of our kind that has not at least been mated once, so they know what that feeling is like."

Emily kissed his cheek and Spencer smiled in her direction.

"I've thought for awhile that Rhian needed to settle down, but I also know how difficult it is to find someone that isn't going to want you for your money and Rhian is becoming quite wealthy due to her business," Spencer said. "You realize that technically, James and Rhian are now siblings even if they're not related."

"I know, but they don't share the same gene pool, so there's nothing wrong with them getting together if that's what they want," Dave said. "Humans would consider it wrong, but not always, unless they shared some of the same blood, but they do not."

"Both James and Rhian were born to two different sets of parents and even though they're technically siblings now, since Dave and I are mated, really, there's no relation," Diana said.

"Technically, I would be considered the stepfather to both you and Rhian, but since you're grown up that doesn't really matter," Dave added.

"I hadn't thought of that, but you're right," Spencer said. "Well, I have no objections, as I said before. The fact, that they are technically, related doesn't really matter."

"It will be weird to outsiders, but that doesn't really matter since nobody has to know that technically, they're siblings, ones unrelated by blood."

"There's no point of worrying about the fact that they're now considered siblings to each other because for one thing they might not be attracted in that way," Emily said.

"No, there's no way to know for sure, but I have a suspicion that it'll be a good very good match and that they will indeed feel attraction. I realize that a relationship between them might not lead anywhere, but I'm actually hoping it will, because I want to see my son and Diana's daughter settle down," Dave said.

"Yes, I agree that it's about time for Rhian to settle down with a mate of her own," Diana said. "I know she's dated frequently and hasn't managed to find anyone that she could fall in love with, so hopefully James and her will click."

"If it doesn't work out they never have to know that you tried to set them up," Emily said amused.

"I would prefer they never know, because Rhian at least would not be amused," Diana said.

"I would've felt the same way if anybody had tried to set me up," Emily said. "I think it has to do with an Alpha's pride."

"A lot of people don't like it when a friend or a relative tries to set them up with someone and not just our kind either," Spencer said.

"Now that's the truth," Emily chuckled. "Personally, I think we should all be left alone to find our own mates or not, as it is our choice."

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

"Congratulations Dave, you're a lucky man," Aaron said giving his former mentor a slap on the back.

"Yes, I am," Dave grinned. "I never expected to fall in love with one of my coworkers mother's it just kind of happened."

"Diana is a nice lady, kind to the bone, so I'm not surprised that you fell for her," Aaron said.

Dave looked at him so Aaron explained farther. "I met her a couple of times when she was here visiting her son. It was before JJ and I fell in love and mated. I am a profiler after all and I noticed that while she loved her family that she seemed rather alone, as she had that aura about her, you know the one I mean. That aura that often happens when one doesn't have a mate of their own for whatever reason. I did know that the father had left many years ago, back when Spencer was still a child and I just figured that Diana had never found anybody else, though I wasn't close enough to ask such a personal question, so it was just from my own observations."

Dave nodded in understanding realizing that he hadn't been around back when that had occurred.

"I'm very happy for you and for Diana as well and I'll make sure I congratulate her next time I see her," Aaron said. "I think both of you fit very well together and that you were both just two lonely souls seeking happiness."

"Yes, we were lonely," Dave agreed soberly, though he was smiling. "One of our race is incomplete without a mate of their own. You can distract yourself by keeping busy, but true happiness comes from having a family, a mate and children you love."

"And also having a job you love," Aaron smiled.

"That too," Dave said smiling, as he thought about Diana who wore her collar nearly always, except when she was in bed. She didn't seem to care about wearing it out in public like so many Omega's did.

Dave knew that this was to show him that she was totally committed to their relationship and he didn't mind that at all, as it let others Alphas and Omegas in particular know that she was now the property of another. Their kind never wore a collar at all unless they were mated, so to wear one was a sure indication that that Omega was off limits. Of course, some humans enjoyed wearing things like dog collars whether made of leather or metal if they liked being goth. Not everybody was the same after all.

He knew of one particular forensic scientist that worked for NCIS that wore a dog collar of black leather with metal studs always. This would have been in bad taste at the very least if Abby Sciuto wasn't completely human. For all he knew the scientist had adopted the ways of their kind, which was very possible actually, as she had a rather unusual outlook on life, much like a certain technical analyst of his acquaintance.

"Humans might be able to be alone, have friends but no family and be happy with just that, but we just aren't fulfilled if we don't have a mate at least," Dave said. "Diana nearly always wears the collar I gave her as she's old-fashioned enough that it doesn't bother her when other people look at her strangely. I never told her she had to wear her collar all the time, except in bed, its just something she's done to make me proud, although I haven't told her so."

"Well, both of you were born back when wearing a collar if you were mated was nearly a requirement instead of just an option," Aaron suggested. "Since the two of you are nearly the same age it only makes sense that Diana was raised basically the same way you were."

"Which is something that our race understands, even if most humans do not," Dave said smiling proudly. "I'm very proud of her actually as she moved from Vegas for me."

"So what is she going to do while you're gone?" Aaron asked curiously.

"Well, look after her grandchildren for one thing," Dave said. "She also said that she'd see about lecturing here in the Washington or Virginia area so that should keep her busy enough. As for her teaching job in Vegas she's just decided on her own that she's going to retire. She could get a job here, but since I have plenty of money of my own she didn't see the point. She said that while her teaching wouldn't take up as much time as my job does she wants to spend as much time together as we can."

"Well, you really got yourself a winner," Aaron said smiling. "Someone who understands that you love your job and you're not about to change it just for her."

"If she had made such a demand our dating would've ended before we even got to a formal courtship," Dave said and Aaron nodded in understanding. "On the other hand, I'm sure her son has told her enough details about the job for her to understand that it's a big commitment, though she's also very intelligent in her own right and might have understood that already. We also have to think about the fact that both of us are on our second marriages and we're no longer young so our emotions are not as strong normally as they are for young people. Not unless the situation is very unusual anyway. We love each other, there is no doubt about that, but we don't have to be together every second either. I'll miss her when I'm gone, but mostly at night and Diana is the same way."

"I haven't thought about it that way, but you're right," Aaron said after a moment. "Neither one of you are as young as when you first married decades ago and you also share many similarities. Both of you are divorced though for different reasons, you're both intelligent and I'm assuming share many of the same interest."

"We do or a relationship between us never would have worked for long," Dave said. "We like some of the same music, the same books, though she's more into old literature than I am. We both love our children very much, but also realize they are grown up. Our children are basically the same age, though mine are a couple of years older than Spencer and his sister are. We both know how to cook and do it well, even if I'm more of a chef and like trying out new recipes then she is. I'm actually teaching her some of the recipes that I've picked up over the years and we enjoy cooking together sometimes."

Dave was quiet for a few minutes seeming lost in thought, but said finally, "I'm not about to make the same mistakes with Diana that I made with Carolyn and will certainly put more effort into this relationship then I did for my original one."

"Yes, I see you do have many things in common," Aaron said smiling. "And I also agree about putting more effort into a relationship. Believe me, I understand what you mean, because I know my relationship with Haley was desperately on the rocks, but I had no idea what to do about it. Haley wasn't interested in discussing things about my job there was a lot I couldn't've told her anyway, but still, I believe if we had talked we might've been able to save our relationship. I'm not naïve and I know we still might've gotten divorced, but the chances would've been better that we could have saved our relationship if only we had taken the time to talk and not lose our common ground. JJ is a totally different type person from Haley, as she makes sure I don't forget my priorities and that's definitely her and the children. I could never forget actually, because I realized that my relationship with Haley was never going to last. I thought I loved her and we did share a lot of the same views on life, but Haley hardly ever told me what she was thinking or feelings. I think discussing such things is important and we might've been able to solve some of our problems if only we had talked."

"Yes, Diana and I do share a lot of the same interests, views, ethics and views, which is something I found out over the course of our courtship," Dave grinned. "I haven't been this happy in a long time, not ever since my children grew up and moved out anyway. Really, it was before that, maybe even soon after Carolyn left, though I didn't realize it for awhile. As for what you said about Haley I know you blame yourself and I won't claim that you're not partly at fault, but I think most of that lies with your ex-mate. You were willing to discuss your job with her or at least that that wasn't confidential and she just wasn't interested in listening. I understand that you would've had to tone down your descriptions of certain aspects of it, but she might have understood your job better if only she had been willing to listen to you describe all that was involved, then again maybe not."

"I was lonely too, though I didn't realize it for a long time," Aaron admitted. "JJ has made my life so much better than it was before and that made me realize how equal my relationship with Haley really was. Having Jack and Chrissy, helped with the loneliness, but still after JJ helped me so much after I had that broken arm that it made me realize that I loved her. We had barely even begun courting at the time and I watched her with the twins and realized she was really good with them. Jack and Chrissy were still incredibly young at the time, so they didn't really know that Jennifer wasn't their mother. Luckily, I wasn't alone as long as you, as JJ started to come over to help out with the kids whenever we were home and things just kind of evolved from there."

"I'm sorry for what happened with you and Haley," Dave said. "I know what happens all the time, but it's always rather sad when a Omega gets ideas above their station. Alphas don't take demands very well, and you told me of the time that Haley started trying to force you to leave the BAU."

"Yeah, she did, which is what eventually led to her packing her bags. From what I got out of her at the time she was going to take Chrissy and Jack and just disappear out of my life and that might not be technically kidnapping, since she is their mother, but considering she never even bothered to discuss it with me it could still be considered so. She had to know deep down that I would have searched everywhere for them and when I found them that her punishment would have been very harsh, as I have resources that most Alphas don't. I would've hired a private investigator if necessary," Aaron growled still steamed over what Haley had tried to do, even years later. "I immediately demanded a divorce and she's lucky all I did was demand custody of Jack and Chrissy and that I didn't demand her life for her act. At the very least I could have spread rumors in the Alpha/Omega community about what she did and not one of our race would have touched her after that, not if they had any sense, as they would have been too afraid that she would do the same thing to them. She would have become undesirable to other Alphas in a very short amount of time unless she moved elsewhere. Even her sister Jessica was shocked at what her sister had done, but I think Haley was just shocked that she had been caught in the act."

"She must've known there was a good chance for her to be caught. Even if she'd managed to get out of the state with them you never would have given up the search," Dave suggested.

"No, I would've quit my job at the BAU if necessary, because while I love my job my children are more important and to try to take them away from their father was something I never would have forgiven her for. If she had talked about it with me and wanted to get a divorce and also custody of the children I might've gone along with that so long as I could still see them. I'm not actually sure what got into Haley's head, because I certainly never abused her or the children. I know I was absent a lot, but I made sure this was something Haley understood and I thought she accepted it."

"She might've just been jealous of the close connection you had with Jack and Chrissy despite the fact that you weren't around as much as you wanted to be," Dave said. "I've always thought you had a way with little kids, as kids recognize that beneath your rather rough exterior beats the heart of a gentle and loving man. Come to think of it, Emily's the same way with children as both of you just have something that children recognize and trust instantly."

"Well, I knew for awhile, that Emily wanted a family, so I was glad when she and Reid got together," Aaron said smiling. "I know the night that his girls were born changed Reid forever. He began freely showing his emotions and not just to Emily or sometimes the team, but to others that didn't know him as well as we all did. I believe that Emily's the first one that truly got past the barrier he put around himself in order to protect his heart."

"I can't blame him for putting up a barrier considering what I know of his childhood," Dave said, as calmly as possibly. "I know I don't know everything, but what I do know is enough to make me want to go beat the Senior Reid to a pulp and I know Emily feels the same way I do."

"So do I and so does Morgan for that matter. I wouldn't be surprised if Garcia wanted to do something to his financials, but stopped herself knowing that it's not what Reid would want, as it would get her in trouble with the authorities."

"Yeah, he and his sister really did get a rather raw deal from what little I know from watching Reid and from what Diana has told me," Dave sighed. "Still, he turned into a fine man and that's all that should matter to anyone. I almost wish I could see the Senior Reid's reaction if he ever found out that he has two granddaughters. I'm sure he would be more than shocked that his son actually got mated in the first place and is genuinely happy, something I'm sure he thought would never happen."

"That's something that his father probably wouldn't appreciate, even if he kept track of his family after he left them," Aaron said. "I'm sure he would be shocked, as you suggested, but it's not like Reid would let his father anyway near his grandchildren and Emily would back him up on that. If the Senior Reid did try to cause trouble I'm sure Ambassador Prentiss would have something to say about that."

"So would I, since technically, I'm now related, my opinion would carry some weight," Dave agreed. Aaron nodded in agreement. "You know, I've never understood how someone can't love their children and it shouldn't matter if they are Alphas or Omegas. I love all my children and while I would have liked an even number of sons and daughters that doesn't mean I didn't love what I got, nor does it matter that only two of them turned out to have my Alpha personality as that's just the way it works out a lot of times."

"I agree with you on that, but it's clear to me that William Reid does not or he never would have abandoned his wife or his son and daughter," Aaron said. "I will never abandon any of my children and it's become clear that Jack's going be an Alpha but Chrissy is going to be an Omega like Haley was. They've passed the five-year point now, so it's easier to tell. As for the four that JJ and I have had they're really too young at this point to tell with any certainty, but I won't be surprised if I do get a combination of Alphas and Omegas because that's the most common. It's possible to get all Alphas of course, but the likelihood of that is low at least."

"About twenty percent," Dave said and Aaron stared at his old friend in amazement. "We went to see Spencer and Emily, a few days ago and it was Reid that gave me the statistics," Dave explained. "It was only right that we tell Diana's son and his mate about our mating first. As you can imagine Spencer was very happy for us, because he knows I'll treat Diana like a queen. He might've objected if he didn't know me very well, but since he does he was actually happy when we got together."

"Well, Reid would want his mother to be happy, as he had to be aware that she was bound to be lonely, as he's very observant. He usually doesn't miss much," Aaron suggested. "We also know how many statistics and other facts he has stored in that brain of his, so he's got to be aware that our species don't do well alone, particularly not past a certain stage of our lives. Once we hit our mid 20s we start to get lonely if we haven't met someone and mated by then and considering that William Reid walked out nearly thirty ago, Diana was bound to start to be lonely after she got over the shock of her husband and mate just walking away. That loneliness might take a few years to develop, but by the time he been gone 5 years, well, she would have been desperate for some constant companionship."

"Her teaching job would have helped there," Dave said quietly, "as she would've been around other people who she considered friends and colleagues. Still, while that would've taken care of some of the loneliness not having anyone to come home to could make some desperate. I was lonely too, but Alphas tend to be more strong-minded for the most part, so we don't fall as easily to loneliness, though we're still suspectable. Still, the constant visiting of her daughter and her colleagues at work helped her to fight that loneliness and for that I am grateful."

"Still, that constant aura of loneliness that both of you had will disappear now that the two of you are together," Aaron said. "I didn't really have a chance to develop that kind of aura because JJ and I got together not long after I divorced Haley. I know I was very lucky that I found JJ, that she had hidden feelings for me, since she knew I was unavailable, but she started to let them appear little by little once Haley was out of the picture. You know that may very well be why Haley decided just to take Jack and Chrissy and vanish, as she might have noticed that JJ had feelings for me, even if I was oblivious. She might have believed that we were having a relationship, even if JJ and I weren't at the time. If that's the case, Haley was not only stupid to try take my children, but even more so, for not asking me as I would've answered honestly."

"JJ must've been lonely too, because she's never been mated," Dave said and Aaron nodded.

"She was, though she did have a thing for awhile with the cop from New Orleans as you know."

"I don't believe that relationship ever would've worked out on a permanent basis," Dave suggested. "All that traveling back and forth from New Orleans to Virginia wouldn't have lasted very long, because you get tired of having a long distance relationship."

"Still, it helped keep the loneliness at bay for her for awhile anyway," Aaron said. "I firmly believe that JJ was just trying her to best to date others, because she knew I was unavailable and it also helped with that loneliness we were just discussing."

"If she had gotten together with that cop would you have fought for her? Realized your feeling soon enough to do so?" Dave asked.

"I don't know that I would have, as it's very likely I might've buried whatever feelings I had for JJ if we hadn't spent all that time together back when I had a broken arm. I would hope I would have, but I don't really know. I was hurt after I found Haley packing hers and the children's things and realized she was going to take my children and leave without a word, so I'm not sure I would've realized my feeling soon enough to do any good, if JJ hadn't been at my side constantly during that time. I had those broken bones. I might very well never have admitted that I loved her."

"Haley's damn lucky that all you did was just throw her out and divorce her, as you could've killed her for what she was intending to do," Dave said. "She might not have cheated on you, but trying take an Alpha's children is practically suicide."

"Unless arrangements have been made in advance. By the way, yes, I could have killed Haley, so you're right she was very lucky," Aaron agreed growling as he was still furious at what had happened. "We have our own laws and they're much harsher than the human ones, though we need to obey those to, except under specific circumstances. Still, I can't believe Haley was going to leave, take the children and did not inform me that she was tired of me being gone so much for my work. I loved her, but I never have forgiven her for doing something like that. We could've discussed it and I might even have agreed to a divorce, so long as I could still see Jack and Chrissy."

"What Haley did was very stupid and I don't believe she didn't know you well enough or at least enough about Alphas in general to know how you would likely react to such a situation," Dave said. "I mean we consider any children as ours at least until they are grown up, so to just pack up to leave without discussing it with the Alpha in question is just massively stupid."

"She would probably try and defend herself and probably say something like I was gone all the time so that I wouldn't be there to talk, but that's just not true," Aaron decided. "We do travel a lot, but I was also home enough for her to discuss the fact that she wanted divorce and instead of doing so she was going to take the cowards way out. I think she genuinely believed that I would say no, and sees me as unreasonable, but I'm not about most things. As for leaving the BAU, I don't think I was unreasonable about that at all, as why should I be unhappy in a different career just to make Haley happy? A person who's happy with their career is going to be a better parent to their children or a better spouse."

"At least Carolyn discussed the option of a divorce with me instead of just walking out," Dave said.

"Well, Carolyn did the right thing then, but Haley..." Aaron began.

"Hey, it doesn't matter anymore, as she doesn't want to earn your ire, so I suspect that she'll stay as far away as she can. I would say she knows she's on thin ice with you, so she won't come anywhere near you or Jack and Chrissy, even though technically, they are her children."

"She lost any right to call them her children when she was just going to walk away and take them with her without discussing it with me in advance," Aaron said his voice a growl. "She's damn lucky all I did was throw her out and make her sign over the twins to me."

"We need to concentrate on the fact that we're happy now and Haley and Carolyn are out of our lives," Dave said. "I missed Carolyn at first, I won't deny it, but I did understand that it was at least partly my fault that our marriage was unrecoverable."

"Yeah, I need to concentrate on the fact that I'm so happy with JJ and with six children," Aaron said. "Jack and Chrissy who are eight are a great help, while the middle ones are five and the youngest are only two about the same age as Reid's and Emily's children."

The two men just sat silently contemplating how their lives had changed for the better, since they had found women that made them happy.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

3 months later

"Aren't they so cute?" Emily squealed, as she saw the boots.

The boots were lovely with a slight heel and made of soft leather that had been dyed a turquoise blue.

"Yes, they are so why don't you try them on?" JJ asked.

"I don't know," Emily began, even as she gazed longingly at the boots. "It's not like I don't have a whole closet full of shoes, something that Spence doesn't understand my fascination with."

"Most men don't though," Penelope pointed out. "Men just don't have the shopping gene, though at least they mostly do shop for their own clothes."

"I have to shop for Spence," Emily said. "I don't really mind it actually, though at least his mother educated him on style, because his father certainly didn't do so."

"Well, it's mostly a mother's prerogative anyway," JJ said.

"Mine certainly never did so. It was the nanny that educated me on clothes," Emily said. "I don't know why some people bother to have children actually. My parents were pretty good, not that me or my brother and sister got to see them as much as we would've liked to when we were young. They were always just so busy."

"Well, since your mother is an Alpha you know that they as well as Omegas can get rather lonely without somebody to come home to, though Omegas like me are more suspectable to it. So lonely, that it's actually almost visible and something you can sense if the senses are keen," said Penelope. "I was starting to be very lonely myself as I was over 30 and I still hadn't met somebody I would consider settling down with. Then I met Derek and we simply clicked from the first moment we met. Luckily, I hadn't really had much of a chance to be too lonely, since that doesn't usually start until mid 20s, so 6 to 7 years. Besides, just because you're lonely for a little permanent companionship doesn't mean that you can't have a fulfilling life, mostly anyway,"

"Still, being lonely for one of our race is much worse then for a human as our instincts and senses are much keener then a humans. We have to remember that we are animals down underneath our human skin, much more so then humans themselves."

"I didn't really have a chance to get lonely as I had that relationship going with Will at one point and then Aaron threw Haley out for trying to leave with his kids, without even trying to discuss the fact that she wasn't happy. She was just going to leave and move away. Really, she should've known that Aaron would've done everything in his power to track her down mostly for his kids not for her sake. If Haley had gone about it properly she wouldn't have lost custody of her kids," JJ said.

"I've never understood how Haley could do that," Emily said shaking her head. "I mean not even trying to discuss it with Hotch. I mean Hotch is a nice guy, especially for an Alpha, he's not unreasonable like some of them can be. I would think that Haley would've known him well enough to know that even if she managed to get away with Jack and Chrissy that Aaron would have tracked her down as I doubt it would've occurred to Haley to change her name and the name of the children. I mean Hotch has an excellent hacker right at his fingertips."

"Even if she had changed her name that still leaves a paper trail and I still would've tracked her down," Penelope said.

"See, we know that, but apparently, Haley didn't. It's possible that Aaron never discussed the fact that you could do that with her, as he's good at keeping information to himself," JJ said. "He discusses things with me much more freely than he ever did with Haley I suspect, but then we are basically, in the same line of work so that's not surprising."

"I suspect it's more along the lines that Hayley didn't want to hear it for one reason or another as she likely wanted him to leave work at work," Emily suggested.

"Which is probably one thing that made their relationship break up," Penelope said. "I mean what did they have to talk about really? His job is a big part of who he is and some people just aren't suited to hear about the grisly things that all of us see every day. I don't particularly like what I see on my computer screens, but I do so knowing that I help say people that might otherwise have ended up dead or at least give the families who are grieving some closure. Having Derek in my life has helped tremendously with the job I voluntarily signed up for."

"If you hadn't you never would've met Morgan," JJ said and Penelope nodded being well aware of that fact.

"Believe me I know it," Penelope said smiling. "Since I love Morgan more than anybody else I've ever dated it would probably destroy me if he left."

"Like that's going to happen since he clearly adores you too," Emily said on a snort of laughter.

"I never said it would, just that it would destroy me if he did. Him and our children are my life," Penelope said smiling now. "Now about those boots..."

Emily gave in, in the face of her two friends determination, but to be fair, she really wanted those boots.

"So shall we visit the baby store next?" JJ asked as Emily was trying own a pair of boots in her size.

"I say we do so, because there are bound to be things you need to buy for the triplets you're carrying."

"Not really much since we still have all the baby things from when Diane and Laurel were still in the diaper stage. Luckily, they are out of that stage now or I never would've suggested getting pregnant again until they were," Emily said.

"They certainly should be past the diaper stage and running all over the place considering they are three now," JJ giggled.

"Yeah, they're a handful, but luckily, our nanny Edelle can handle it," Emily grinned. "She's one tough lady. We also have Diana's help whenever Rossi is gone with the rest of us out of town. She just loves looking after her grandchildren."

"Well, most grandparents adore their grandchildren," JJ suggested smiling. "My mother certainly loves all six that Aaron and I have including Jack and Chrissy from his previous marriage."

"And why should she not after all they're all adorable kids," Penelope grinned. "It just shows that your mother has her priorities straight."

"Yeah, I think all of us love children," Emily said, as she tested out the boots to see how comfortable they were.

"So you going to get them?" Penelope asked once Emily had walked allowed in them a little.

"Well, they'll certainly go with the turquoise shirt that I have in mind," Emily said. "They don't have much of a heel either, which means I should be able wear them, since I'm pregnant right now, without having to worry about my balance. They're comfortable enough I think, although it's hard to tell considering I'm carrying around quite a bit of extra weight right now."

"You just need to break them in," JJ said.

"Yeah, that's true," Emily said. "I think I'll get them as they seem comfortable, but they'll be more comfortable once I've broken them in."

"So why don't you buy them, then we can stop for some lunch since you especially need to eat. We can head do that baby store right afterwards," JJ suggested

"Sounds good," Emily said. "I sure can't wait for these three to be born, but I still have another month to go."

"It'll pass fast," Penelope said.

"Yeah, but from now on I'm stuck in the office and not allowed to travel with the team and I'm definitely not allowed to chase after unsubs," Emily sighed. "I knew that was going to happen but I still wanted more children."

"You're lucky Spencer didn't try to ground you before now though," JJ said. "He has ways of persuading you without making you mad you know as he knows how unreasonable a pregnant woman can be."

"Yeah, he can be very persuasive," Emily agreed. "Still, I know I have to look after the babies, as I wouldn't want to lose them just because I was being rash. Getting pregnant was probably the main reason that I'd put off getting mated in the first place though."

"That may have been part of it, but I think it was more along the lines that you just didn't meet anyone that you wanted to settle down with," Penelope said. "You have to have some sort of connection with your Omega or a human if you decide to go that route. Some Alphas or Omegas for that matter rush into marriage and a lot of times they don't end well. The three of us were sensible though and waited until we were sure we had found the right ones for us. I mean even Hotch made that mistake."

"Yeah, he did, although he was a lot younger when he and Haley married," JJ agreed. "Sometimes you just don't know what you want. You can click with someone and it can still end badly," Emily suggested

"So you think that he and Haley clicked at first, but then, they both got busy and lost their common ground and so it ended," JJ said.

"I just think that Haley couldn't accept the fact that Hotch was gone so much for his job or that it was a job he loved. When they met after all, he was a lawyer, which was a nice steady job, that could see him enter the rank of politics eventually."

"So you believe that if Aaron hadn't decided to join the FBI and the BAU in particular that they're marriage might have lasted."

"I'm just saying it's possible," Emily said.

"Well, I'm certainly glad it didn't last, because I love him so much and I think I fell in love with him from the first moment we met," JJ admitted.

"Which happens a lot with our kind," Penelope said looking entirely sympathetic. "It's as if we know when we've found our perfect match. It was that way with me and Derek."

"I won't say it was that way with me and Spencer, but I was certainly attracted to him," Emily said. "It just took awhile for both of us for feelings to develop."

"But neither one of you has a romantic bent like Penny and I do," JJ suggested.

"And you both were also used to repressing your emotions due to your separate upbringings, as neither of you grew up in the most healthy of environments," Penelope added.

"I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it or not," Emily said. "I think it's more some instinct that we have, which I suppose we could have been suppressing due to our upbringings. We are more animals than humans are. We have sharper instincts. We can actually die from loneliness, while the humans mostly don't, just become bitter or hateful or sad. Sure, they can take they're own lives if they feel like they have to, just because they're lonely, but it's not the same thing."

Emily sat down to one of the benches to try on the boots she wanted. "I'm surprised my ankles haven't swollen out more," Emily said. "We probably should've done this after I gave birth, but since we don't get much time to ourselves..."

"It was better just to go ahead and do it while we had some free time," JJ agreed.

Emily ended up buying the boots before the three of them headed towards the food court to get some lunch since Emily at least was starving.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

"Congratulations on your children," Dave told Spencer, as the two of them along with Diana and the rest of the team were looking in the nursery window.

Emily had had two boys and one girl and both her and Spencer were very happy with that as they had wanted some sons.

"Yes, congratulations, son, you're a lucky man," Diana said, as she kissed Spencer on the cheek.

"Thank you mom, thank you Dave," Spencer said grinning from ear to ear a rather unusual expression on his face. "Emily and I are very happy with these additions to our family."

"If Aaron and I decided to add to our family then we'd certainly be happy with the new additions," JJ commented smiling at her mate. "I won't say positively that's not in our future, but I think that six is more than enough."

"I think our babymaking days are over," Aaron agreed.

"If that's the case then you should go through an operation, so you won't have heats anymore," Penelope told JJ who nodded.

"We'll consider it, as it would be wonderful to not have heats twice a year," JJ said.

"I think you should go ahead and have that operation, honey," Aaron said. "I think six is more than enough for us to handle, even if Jack and Chrissy are old enough to help us look after the younger ones."

"I'll make arrangements then," JJ agreed immediately. "It'll be wonderful not to have heats anymore if you're sure that you don't want anymore children."

"No, I certainly had more than I expected to, especially since I never really thought I'd get mated again after I threw Haley out," Aaron said.

JJ nodded and Aaron knew that she would be making an appointment to have an operation as soon as possible so she wouldn't go into heats anymore and he could hardly blame her.

"Congratulations from me too," Aaron told Spencer.

"Thank you, Emily and I have are very happy about our newest additions and I can tell you that Emily was very ecstatic when she found out that two of them were boys," Spencer said.

"How is Emily?" Penelope asked.

"Groggy, as you might be expecting. She was barely still awake when I left so she could sleep and I'm sure she's out like a light by now. The operation went well though, so I suspect that she'll be back at work as soon as she's allowed to."

"I insist that she take at least the next month off," Aaron said. "It's not just a matter of making sure she's fully healed from her operation it's about giving her time with your newest additions."

"I'll tell her and I doubt she'll be happy with it," Spencer said. "Still, she'll understand that just because she wants to come back, going out in the field too soon is not a good idea. This, is why she put off getting mated for so long or at least part of the reason."

"Housewife Emily Prentiss is not," JJ said smiling a little, "but then none of us are housewife material."

"Hey, the women who want to be housewives, just look after the kids and do whatever housewives do are welcome to it, but that's not for me or you JJ or Emily," Penelope said. "We're not ones to let our men bring home the bacon."

"And there's nothing wrong with wanting a career," Diana told everyone. "I don't know what would've happened to me and my children if I had not already been teaching at the University when Will left. I was really glad that I had my job once I got over my shock that is, as it was more than enough to support me Spencer and Rhian.

"So what are you going to name these beauties?" Penelope asked changing the subject tactfully.

"Emily and I still hadn't reached a decision, so while we discussed names we hadn't decided by the time she went into labor," Spencer said. "We've each suggested a lot of different names, but since there are so many we like it's been a rather hard decision. Personally, I like the name Howard for one of the boys, but whether Emily will agree is something else entirely."

"I've always liked the name Courtney and I thought if I ever had any children and one was a girl I would name her that," Rhian said. "Or maybe Courtlyn."

"You know Courtlyn is really pretty," Spencer said, "but however much I like it I don't want to steal your name if you ever do happen to have children."

"I don't think me having children is in the cards Spence," Rhian said. "It's not that I wouldn't like to be mated, it's just that I haven't found anyone that I would to have around on a permanent basis. I'm really ready to swear off dating entirely actually. It seems like every male I date whether an Omega or a human just want me to do more than I'm willing to and they make too many demands. From humans I can understand them making demands, because most of them never bother to learn even the basics when it comes to our species, but those who are Omegas should know better. I admit I could just have children without being mated, and I'm actually considering doing that."

"I can't blame you there, considering how much I had trouble finding someone," Spencer said. "Still, I wouldn't change a thing if it meant Emily and I would never meet."

"I can't blame you for wanting to have children, even if you never get married," Diana told her daughter. "I can't say I approve, but I also understand where you're coming from."

"I just said I was thinking about it mom, not that I would actually do it," Rhian said. "If you knew some of the bozos I had dated who seemed so nice in the beginning, until they started making demands, though that was mostly the humans. Still, I have dated a few Omega's who started to be very demanding and also if they weren't at first it soon became clear that they didn't want me for myself, but for my portfolio."

"I've had that same kind of trouble myself," Dave sympathized. "Especially once my books started to truly take off and word got around. It helped though, that I was gone so much for work, so that I didn't have to deal with someone wanting for the wealth I had gained too often. You shouldn't give up on finding somebody you can settle down with Rhian, as I know from personal experience that the right person will come along. I never expected to fall for your mother, but when I met her for the first time it was like being struck by lightning, especially since I had already been mated when I was much younger."

"I agree with Dave," Diana added. "I don't blame you for being so disappointed in people that you want to swear off dating, but you'll find the right someone someday. Hopefully, not before you're too old to give me some grandchildren. Believe me, I felt the same way you did as I dated some, although not often back when you and Spencer were growing up, but long before I met Dave."

"I remember that," Spencer ventured. "It was a couple years after dad left, after mom had gotten over the shock of dad's betrayal. She didn't do it often, but every once in awhile she would go out for dinner with someone."

"I vaguely remember that, although Spence and I were still young at the time," Rhian said.

"About 12," Spencer supplied. "I wouldn't remember that except vaguely either if not for my eidetic memory."

"Unfortunately, that's an all too common occurrence," Aaron said. "Nowadays, our kind doesn't seem to be raised like they're supposed to be. Either that or the lessons don't take. I think part of the problem is that our species are unduly influenced by humans, who don't know how to behave a lot of times. So many people, humans in particular are so rude nowadays. They simply have no manners. A lot of them never even say please and thank you."

"I still remember how one Alpha demanded that I send my children to an orphanage or at least to boarding school and I wanted to continue being courted by him. He didn't offer to pay for boarding school, even if I would have considered such a thing. He acted like I could've afforded a boarding school on my salary," Diana snorted her contempt still clear, even though it had been about years since then. "I'm sure you can guess what happened."

"I seem to remember you firmly showing him the door refusing to allow him back in," Spencer said grinning. "I seem to remember that there was pounding on the door for some time and hearing threats through the wood."

"I know what I did was rather dangerous, as a lot Alphas don't like to be rejected, even if it's done gently, traditionally," Diana told Dave who nodded in understanding. "But Carmon, as that was the guy's name, acted like it was a foregone conclusion that I would just give my children up or at least send them away, so that he could continue courting me as if it was some kind of honor. He didn't want to accept my formal denial, that let him know I wasn't interested in his so-called charms after that. That's one of the reasons I never mated again you know as a lot of Alphas don't want to raise someone else's children. I finally had to threaten to call the authorities in order to get him to leave."

"That's not love, it's possession," Dave said and everyone in the room agreed. "I had the same thing happen to me once, after Carolyn and I parted ways and on one of the rare occasions that I had time to date. Just like Diana it was back when my kids were still young and Jane forgot that I was the Alpha of the relationship and you never make demands of an Alpha. You can make requests and most Alphas will comply with those requests so long as they are phrased in the right way and it is not something that goes against their beliefs."

"Making demands of an Alpha will get you nowhere," Diana agreed.

"No, it won't and will more than likely get you seriously punished," Spencer agreed. "I don't know how any Omega can forget that the Alpha is are in charge. No matter how nice he or she seems to be they're not going to respond well to an Omega making demands of them, not unless there are extenuating circumstances."

"Like if the female is pregnant at the time," Diana said.

"That's about the only reason they would accept such an attitude from an Omega," Dave immediately agreed. "Most Alphas aren't unreasonable, though I realize there're some out there that tend to be. I mean just look at Keating, Mandell and Aimes. Those three made a critical error by attacking Spencer when he had done nothing to earn their ire, except by showing how intelligent he was, which is certainly no reason to attack him."

"Something we definitely agree on," Penelope said.

"I certainly don't disagree," Rhian said. "I never told you that I really appreciate what you did for my brother," Rhian added looking at Dave and then Aaron.

"I already considered him part of my family before I met Diana," Dave said and Aaron nodded in agreement at this. "The fact that we're now technically, related doesn't change the fact that the whole team is really close to each other probably because we spend so much time in each others pockets. I put him under my protection and made sure it was duly registered, because I really thought of him as a nephew and Aaron did the same because he felt the same way. As for Morgan he thinks of Spencer as more of a brother, but then they're closer in age so that's understandable."

"It was really nice to know that my son had people that cared about him so much," Diana smiled. "It made it easier for him to be so far away when I knew that."

"You know why I moved away in the first place mom," Spencer told Diana gently.

"Yes, I do," Diana agreed sighing. "It didn't mean I didn't worry about you being so far away from everybody who knew and cared about you. It simply made it easier once I knew that you had people to look after you, ones that cared about your welfare. I stopped worrying about you so much then."

"That's what mothers do, the good ones care about their children worry about them, even when they're adults," Penelope told her friend.

"I know," Spencer said. "I do appreciate it. As for names you're just going to have to wait until Emily wakes up, since it's her decision to."

"We can wait," Diana said.

"It will only be a few hours, so perhaps, tomorrow she'll be well enough for us to come to a decision," Spencer said.

"Baby names aren't always easy to decide since there are so many beautiful names out there," said Penelope.

"That is so true," Aaron who had not said much agreed immediately. "JJ and I had so much trouble picking names for each of our children."

"The same could be said for Derek and I," Penelope said. "Sometimes it's just not easy to pick names for your children. Not unless you're going to use family names, then it gets a little easier. Well, mostly anyway. Fran, Derek's mother, forbade us from naming any of our girl children after her as she hates her name. We did name our oldest son Hank though, after his father, which Fran definitely approved of. After that though, it was rather difficult to pick out names."

Everybody who had children of their own agreed with that statement.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"I'm really happy for you, dad," James offered as his father handed him a bottle of beer. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it down here sooner."

"You have your own life to lead I know that," Dave said, as he popped the lid off his own beer. Normally, he preferred wine, but knew his son preferred a good beer so he had gotten some when he knew his son was coming to visit.

"So when do I get to meet the lucky lady?" James asked, as he popped the lid off his own beer.

"Soon," Dave promised. "She's just visiting her grandchildren who happen to live in the area. Her son works with me at the BAU and I know she spends a lot of time with her grandchildren when Spencer and his mate Emily are gone with the team. Spencer's an Omega like you while Emily's the Alpha. We only met because Diana was down here to see her son, his mate and her grandchildren, including three that were just born a few weeks ago. I suppose you could say it was pure luck that Diana happened to be there visiting her son and I came to visit Spencer who was severely injured."

"Poor guy," James winced in sympathy.

"You don't know the half of it," Dave almost growled.

James waited for his father to explain and he did just a moment later.

"Spencer wasn't injured while on the job," Dave begin to explain, "he was injured by three Alpha males that had held onto their resentment, let it fester, ever since the Academy. They were in the same class, and not only resented that Spencer was an Omega, but that he was extremely young when he joined. He was really a year and a half to young to enter the academy but he was recommended by Jason Gideon."

Now there was a name James had heard before.

"Gideon discovered him when he was lecturing at Caltech. He was the youngest student in the class and it turned out he had been at college from a young age. He has a very high IQ, which of course a lot of people resent. To make the long story short when he entered the Academy on Gideon's recommendation, there were three Alphas that had decided to join the FBI, but they were much older, in their 30s. They resented his obvious intelligence, his age, his Omega status and held onto that resentment for well over a decade when they encountered him heading for the subway. He had told his mate Emily that he was going by the bookstore before coming home and when he didn't arrive at a reasonable hour Emily knew something was wrong, even though she did have that feeling for sometime before that. She was distracted though, as she was playing with their two children at the time, since both she and Spencer are gone a lot of the time."

"This Emily you speak up must not have been pleased," James suggested.

"That's the understatement of the decade," Dave snorted. "Considering that Spencer nearly died on the operating table Emily was beyond furious. She had to promise her mate that she wouldn't execute them."

"Why would this been Spencer ask to promise such a thing?" James asked in astonishment.

"He wasn't raised in the traditional environment due to the father. The father left when he and his sister were quite young. Diana tried her best, but you know they're are some things that a father teaches his son whether he's an Alpha or an Omega," Dave said and James nodded at that. "He was also under heavy drugs at the time, so he likely wasn't thinking straight when he made that request.

"Let's just say that those three got the justice they deserved. Just because Emily promised not to execute them didn't mean that Aaron, I or Derek Morgan did. Spencer, along with JJ ,who is Aaron's mate and Penelope Garcia who is Morgan's are registered under mine and Aaron's protections. Spencer's also under Emily Prentiss's protection considering they are mates and also Gideon's. Considering that Emily is the daughter of Ambassador Prentiss she comes from a very powerful and wealthy family. Now, think about what Ambassador Prentiss's reaction would be to the harm done to her son-in-law."

"I can see where this is going," James shuddered.

"Exactly," Dave agreed with an evil smirk. "Spencer was under heavy drugs, as he had a lot of broken bones multiple contusions and even a collapsed lung, as those three idiots really did a number on him, which is why I believe he didn't know what he was saying originally. Emily and his sister tried to explain exactly why they knew that those three must die, but at the time they weren't sure that Spencer understood, but after he had healed up some he admitted that he did understand why. He understands in his head why it was necessary to execute those three, that doesn't mean he likes it though. He thought going to prison would be an appropriate punishment."

"And for a human it would be, but our species can be a very stubborn lot and those likely would've come after his family once they were released," James said while his father nodded in agreement.

"Which is why Aaron, Morgan and I took the actions we did. I mean those three idiots didn't even bother to do their research and if they had they'd probably would've rethought their actions. On the other hand, they were extremely drunk when they encountered Spencer, not that that's any excuse. Besides, all that did was lower their normal inhibitions. I mean they hung onto their resentment for a supposed thorn in their sides for over a decade, even though Spencer had done nothing to them and put up with their bullying while he was at the Academy with amazing fortitude. I think they resented him being pulled into the BAU at such a young age without having to do his time in another department more than anything else, although his age and intelligence as I said, didn't help. The BAU is the most prestigious unit the FBI has and no one's been pulled into it straight from the Academy without serving in another department first. Spencer's intelligence is so out of the ordinary that Gideon thought it was the best place for him and once I met him and got to know him I agreed."

"Considering that you said he went to college at a very young age I would say he has a genius level intellect," James suggested Dave nodded.

"He does and an eidetic memory," Dave said. "In any case, I met Spencer's mother, Diana, while she was visiting her son and his mate. I haven't really met anyone that caught my interest after your mother, though I have dated in what little free time I've had. Since she was here for the summer, I asked her out for a date. After she accepted our relationship proceeded basically in a normal fashion, except I wasn't here as much as I would like, since I was gone with the team. Still, as Diana pointed out we're both mature adults and don't need to be together every second."

"I'm glad to see you so happy, dad," James offered smiling. "I can't wait to meet this Diana. It will also be really nice to have a few more siblings."

"You'll love Diana," Dave promised. "She raised her own children to the best of her ability after her husband walked out. Luckily, she had a job teaching at Las Vegas University, so she did have a decent income. I'm sure you'll like Spencer and his sister too once you meet them."

Dave didn't mention that he was hoping that James and Rhian would get together as mates, but Dave well knew that it wasn't a sure thing, so his hopes might very well be in vain. Still, he had hope.

"So since you mentioned the son was an Omega that means the sister is an Alpha," James said.

James knew he was right, because while there could be all Alphas in one birth all the children from a single pregnancy were never all Omegas.

"Yes," Dave agreed. "I met her and she looks more like her father, while Spencer looks a lot like his mother. Spencer might have his father's brown hair, eyes and height, but he still looks like his mother more than his sister Rhian does."

The two chatted for a few minutes as they drank their beers.

"So can I expect you to settle down anytime soon?" Dave asked his son finally causing James to roll his eyes at his father.

"How did I just know you were going ask me that?" James asked rhetorically while grimacing a little.

"I just want you to be happy," Dave told his son who nodded as he knew this. "You know how happy I was with your mother until I ruined it. I just got so busy building my career that I forgot a relationship is work. From the perspective of years,I can see that I should've spent more time with your mother."

"It wasn't all your fault dad, I know that," James said looking introspective. "Mom said as much to all of us when we visited her. She didn't come to you with her concerns like she should have and the two of you definitely didn't communicate. You were also young and either forgot or didn't know that a marriage is a partnership. So many people, our species and humans, get married when you're not really ready for the responsibility, because otherwise, divorce wouldn't be so high in this country."

"I for one should have known from the example my own parents set that a marriage is work, but I forgot that because I got too busy. Now, I'm older and more mature or at least more introspective than I used to be, so I know I'll never forget my responsibilities again. I will not risk Diana leaving me, so I have to get my priorities straight. That was Carolyn's and my problem back when we were mated we forgot to set our priorities and remember that each other were more important than anything else. The fact that I forgot our anniversary fairly often or her birthday was one of the reasons that our marriage broke up," Dave said. "No one likes to feel neglected and I'm sure that's what Carolyn felt, since I was gone all the time and even then I wasn't really mentally here. Yes, I realize I'm not the only one at fault as it takes two to make a marriage work, but I still bear probably over half the blame."

"It's in the past, dad," James said. "You need to learn to forgive yourself for not being perfect as no one on the face of the earth is. Everyone has their faults and it's our experiences that make us who we are. Maybe if you hadn't had that experience with mom you wouldn't make a good mate for Diana now."

"When did you get so wise?" Dave asked smiling feeling some of the guilt leave him. Dave was sure that he would always feel at least a little guilty for what happened between him and Carolyn, but he had also learned from that experience, though for a long time he hadn't wanted to admit that it was at least partly his fault that his marriage had broken up.

"Experience," James said to simply smiling a little.

"But you've never been married unless there is something you haven't told me," Dave said with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I've never been married," James said, "but I have dated frequently and if there's one thing I've learned it's that women in particular don't like to feel ignored or unwanted. Of course, some are more needy than others depending on personality.

"So does that mean the possibility of grandchildren from you is it not a possibility at all?" Dave asked.

"It's not that I don't want to be mated, dad," James sighed, "but it isn't always easy to find someone to settle down with."

"Did something happen?" Dave asked immediately never having seen his son so depressed.

"Yeah," James said broodingly looking down at his bottle of beer.

"So are you going to tell your father?" Dave asked. "It'll make you feel better to get it off your chest. If there's something I know from experience its holding all your emotions inside is not good for you."

"Last year I thought I had finally found the Alpha for me," James began. "She seemed perfect, she was strong commanding, but could also be very sweet, gentle and tender. I believe that I was falling in love with her and I was hoping that a proposal would be coming in the near future. I was actually thinking about calling you and my siblings, telling you that I had fallen in love, now I'm glad I did not."

"What happened?" Dave asked when his son did not continue.

"I caught her bullying this Omega. I'm not just talking about teasing I'm talking about physically she kept threatening him. She kept demanding things of him that she had no right to demand and being very malicious. She even went so far as to break a couple of his fingers when this guy, who had just been minding his own business, didn't do what she wanted. She apparently did this on a regular basis, but I had never been with her when she did so. It turned out that she was part of this group that terrified people if they saw something that they wanted from someone."

"That's extortion," Dave said and James nodded grimly.

"I know she didn't expect me to see her doing it, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. After that, I broke it off, formally of course, and she wasn't very happy and tried to threaten me to, but I told her that my father was an Alpha and a high-ranking member of the FBI and he wouldn't be pleased if she did me any harm. In fact, he would likely be furious and come after her and her cohorts. I told her that the FBI could come after her and her friends for extortion and it was just better if she let me go before she opened a whole can of worms where she and the others involved ended up in prison."

"That's exactly what you should've done James," Dave approved.

"As you know I usually like to make my own way, dad, but in this case, I knew she wouldn't likely leave me alone unless I said something like that," James said and Dave nodded.

"You did exactly the right thing and yes, I know you value your independence, but there are certain pitfalls to any species James and an Omega like you are has to watch out for certain dangers, just like your sister does. What this lady did, was not bother to check to see if you were under anyone's protection. If she had she would've found that you were under my protection just like your sister, since she's also an Omega. If you do eventually mate you'll be under your mates protection as well and I'm sure she'll be responsible and have it officially registered."

"That won't necessarily protect me you know," James said.

"I know," Dave agreed sighing. "It all depends on how powerful that Alpha is whether financially or by reputation. You're lucky though. that I am not only powerful financially, but also by reputation and I doubt most Alphas would want to tangle with me."

"But you won't be around forever, dad," James pointed out. "I'm grateful that I am under your protection right now and I know that you might live another 60 or 70 years, maybe even more, but you won't be around forever. I mean you could be killed while working and even if you are not there are such things as ill health, although I know our kind is usually healthy. Really, there are a thousand different ways that you could die and even if you manage to live as long as our species can you will eventually pass away."

"I'm hoping that you'll be mated by then and have multiple grandchildren for me and Diana to spoil," Dave said

"It's not like I'm not trying to meet someone," James sighed pinching his nose in frustration.

"I know how hard it is to meet someone you would be happy with," Dave sympathized. "I was lucky to meet Carolyn when I was a young man and I know it. I was even luckier to meet Diana nearly 3 decades later, since usually our kind only marry once if only because most of us never find a second mate."

"So what is going to be anymore children in your future?" James asked with a teasing expression.

"Diana and I have already discussed that actually," Dave said enjoying his son look of shock.

"Isn't Diana too old to have anymore children. I mean she already has two, so I'm assuming she's around your age if her son is old enough to be a member of your unit."

"Ever heard of surrogacy?" Dave asked his son sounding amused. James nodded still looking slightly shocked. "That's what Diana and I agreed on and we are due to get that project underway in a few months time. Yes, Diana is still capable of bearing children, but she's also around my age as you said and it gets more dangerous the older you are. I can tell you that Spencer was very happy when we told him we had agreed on surrogacy. It's not that he didn't want anymore siblings, just that he didn't want his mother to possibly die in childbirth and since I agreed with him everyone was happy. Rhian agreed to once she learned of it, but since she still lives in Las Vegas she didn't find out until later."

"You know Amanda, Nicola and Lia are going to be rather put out they they haven't had a chance to meet your new mate and that's only if you've told them about her," James said.

"I would never neglect to tell my children about Diana," Dave said. "Actually, you are the last one that has yet to be introduced to her, as the others came to meet her already. None of them stayed more then a few days as they didn't want to be in the way since Diana's and my relationship is still new."

"And they neglected to tell me," James sighed in understanding. It was definitely something his sisters would pull on him. They would've wanted him to form his own opinions.

"They wanted you to form your own impressions without them influencing you by telling you what they thought," Dave said. "I'm sure the four of you will discuss Diana quite a bit once you meet her and get to know her a little."

"I'm sure that I'll love her," James said.

"I know you will," Dave said confidently. "You should meet her soon, as she should be home any minute from visiting her family. I have every confidence you'll fall in love with her, just like I did when I met her over at Spencer's and Emily's. Your other siblings certainly fell in love with her when they did meet and I have no doubt you'll be the same."

Father and son continued to talk quietly as they enjoyed their second beers and it wasn't long before they heard the sound of the door opening and Dave at least knew that his mate was finally back at his side.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Chrismas

Several months later

James stared at Rhian thinking that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. His only problem was that she was technically, now his sister or at least stepsister. It would be weird to get involved with somebody he was supposedly related to, even if that was through marriage. This was the first opportunity he had to meet her, as he was a successful engineer in Washington, which really was very close to where his father lived, so if he wanted to he could visit often. It was now Christmas and the team was actually off for a change and not on standby

Rhian had come down to join in the Christmas celebrations and to meet the three newest additions to the Rossi family.

It was over a year ago when James had met Diana for the first time and found out that his father was right he liked her great deal and thought that she was a good match for his father. He knew that his father had been very lonely for sometime before they had met, which wasn't surprising considering how long ago it had been since he and his mother had divorced. He knew now that his stepmother had been very lonely to as, her husband had left her with two young children to care for. His father and stepmother seemed quite content with each other and appeared very much in love.

As for the three newest addition James was thrilled to get some more siblings and that all of them were boys made him very happy. His three sisters were thrilled to and were always holding them cooing at them. They were also very happy for their father who they had believed should have mated again long before he actually had, but they also knew it wasn't always easy to find someone. Besides, they knew the statistics of their species mating again once they lost their first mate and the odds weren't very high at all, although it did happen, as sometimes one of their kind just got lucky, like in his father's case.

James knew very well that his father was thrilled to get some more sons, because before now he had been the only boy. James briefly wondered if his father and stepmother were planning on having anymore, especially since Diana wasn't going to be carrying them, but figured that he could ask his father that once there weren't so many people at the Rossi mansion. Right now, not only were he and his three siblings here, so were the rest of the team and Diana's daughter Rhianwen and that didn't even include all the children in the house most of whom were very young. A lot of them weren't even past the diaper wearing stage yet. Still, James had to admit that he had rarely seen his father happier, so he wasn't about to object to all the young children who were crawling or walking around. Really, it gave him a glimpse of a possible future for him if he someday met someone he would be happy to settle down with, have some children with and give his dad those grandchildren he wished for.

James did his best to avoid Rhian, not because he didn't want to get to know her, but because he was very attracted to her, but since technically, they were siblings now it was wrong to get involved with someone he was related to, even if it wasn't by blood.

His dad finally called for the guests to sit down for dinner and it was just his luck that he was seated right beside the same person he had been trying to avoid. James wondered briefly if his dad was trying to play matchmaker or if it happened to be an accident. If his dad was trying to play matchmaker it wouldn't be the first time, but surely his father wouldn't try to matchmake him with someone that was related to him, even if that was because his father and Rhian's mother had mated.

"I don't believe we've officially met before," Rhian offered, trying not to stare at this handsome man that looked a lot like her new stepfather, which meant that this was probably James his son. She had met Dave's three daughters before, but not James, as they just hadn't managed to cross paths. This wasn't surprising really, since they were both grown up and had their own lives. "I'm Rhianwen Carrie Reid."

"James David Rossi," James introduced himself shaking this beautiful Alpha's hand.

"That's who I thought you were," Rhian smiled. "You look a great deal like your father, which is why I was sure that you were his son."

"Yeah, I do look a lot like my dad," James smiled, trying not to act like an idiot in front of this beautiful Alpha who had blond hair, but brown eyes, instead of blue like her mother. "At least I'm not his only son anymore not since my three siblings were born."

"It must be hard sometimes be in the only male with three siblings who are all female," Rhian sympathized.

"It wasn't too bad, though I won't claim that I wasn't teased but having three sisters when I was younger," James said reflectively.

"Children can be cruel. I know that from experience," Rhian said. "It wasn't me they picked on, but Spencer and I was always defending him. Bullies pick on others for all sorts of reasons and in my brother's case, it was mostly because he dared to show how intelligent he was in class. I was really intelligent to, but Spencer was and is in a different league altogether. He can absorb information far faster than other people and remember every word, which sets him apart. You know a lot of children don't want to accept anybody whose different, which was really the main reason they picked on him, though his intelligence and quiet ways was also an excuse. I'm afraid my brother didn't bother to fit in, but then, he shouldn't have to change to keep the other children from bullying him. If you knew how often I rescued him from being beaten up..."

"Sometimes it's hard to be accepted," James offered. "I didn't have those kind of problems, although my intelligence was above average as well, but then look at who my parents are."

"I know your father is really intelligent," Rhian said.

"My mother was too before her death," James said. "My dad never would have mated with anyone who was stupid or anyone who was shallow as those kind of women wouldn't hold his interest, even when he was a young man for more than a few minutes."

The two of them ate their meal as they chatted quietly both of them unaware that they were being watched by certain people at the other end of the table.

Diana and Dave smiled at each other, pleased that their two children were getting on and they were hoping it would end up with them mated to each other, but if it just turned into a strong friendship then they would be happy with that.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"That isn't a good idea, Rhian," James told Rhian firmly, but politely.

Rhian had just formally requested that she wanted to begin to court him and James while he wanted nothing more he knew it wasn't a good idea, because now technically, they were related. Yes, he was very attracted to this beautiful Alpha with her long curly blond hair, firm chin, high, lush, full lips, aristocratic cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes, but unfortunately, they were also related, even if that that was through marriage.

"You know very well that us being related through marriage doesn't really matter James," Rhian tried to reason with him. "If we were blood related it would be different, but we're not and we're also not human who would likely care great deal if they knew that two people who are related, even if that's just through marriage started dating each other."

"And what about our parents?" James asked. "I admit my father won't care, but what about your mother."

"She won't care either, just be happy that I have seriously started courting someone to see if we are suitable," Rhian said. "I mean we are strongly attracted to each other, which is a good sign, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we will make any courtship a permanent arrangement."

"And what about your brother as I definitely don't want to get on his bad side," James said. "I already know that you and your brother weren't exactly raised traditionally, although I know you were more than he was, since your mother did her job, but that means that your brother might object to us courting."

"If the objects I'll explain the situation, but James I don't think he will," Rhian. "He's always telling me that he wants me to find someone I can have children with, be happy with and you are the first Omega that I've been so attracted to that is also intelligent, kind, warmhearted and was raised traditionally enough that you aren't going to make a mistake of making demands of me. You won't ever forget that I am the Alpha of the relationship. That's not to say that we won't be equal, just that you know how things work between an Alpha and Omega couple, that you won't make the mistakes that so many do, because they forget their place. I don't want to insult you or anything, but if you knew some of the Omegas I had dated before..."

"I understand," James said and Rhian stared at him clearly seeing that he did. "While I do understand I still don't think it's a good idea, because what will people say when they find out that technically, we are stepsiblings?"

"Why do you care, really?" Rhian countered. "The few people who are going to know won't care and as for everyone else, how will they ever know? This isn't some small village where everyone knows everyone else's business James. I mean we live in a big metropolis and depending on how our relationship goes I would consider moving to Washington and leaving my business in the hands of my second-in-command."

"It's still technically wrong for us to get involved with each other," James said.

"You've been living among humans too long or at least hanging out with them to much," Rhian said allowing her frustration to show, which nearly made James cave right there, but he stiffened his spine. "We're not human James and even if they consider it wrong, why do they matter? We have to live among them that's true, but we have our own ways, our own society, our own traditions and laws. I mean really do you think that humans, except those with rather unusual views on life, would really think of spanking as anything but a punishment? Alphas spank their Omegas for some very serious reasons that's true, but it still considered mostly play unless they're being punished for some serious offense."

James stopped and really thought about Rhian's words finally realizing that she was right. He had been living among humans for so long that he had somewhat adopted their ways and forgotten who he truly was. His dad certainly hadn't raised him that way.

"Alright, I admit that I have let humans influence me and I shouldn't have," James admitted feeling just a little ashamed. "Most of my friends are humans not our kind, which didn't help the situation. I knew deep down that none of our kind that was raised in a traditional manner would consider it wrong if we got together so long as we weren't blood related. I've just been associating with humans for so long that I forgot temporarily the lessons my parents tried to teach me and my sisters. Some things that humans consider wrong our kinds doesn't, not things like rape or murder or other major crimes, but minor things."

"Like a man and a woman who are stepsiblings getting together romantically and sexually," Rhian suggested now smiling, because she had won the argument.

"Yes," James admitted. James looked thoughtful and Rhian immediately asked what he was thinking. "I'm wondering if this is what my dad was trying to do when we sat beside each other at that dinner a few days ago. He's been known to try to matchmake before, so I wouldn't put it past him to have seated us together hoping that we would be attracted to each other and perhaps get together permanently."

"My mom would have to be in on a scheme like that, as I can't see your father going above her head without consulting her, as that would be a good way to put their new relationship on rocky ground," Rhian said.

"That's a good point," James agreed. "My father wouldn't risk his relationship with your mother, so I suspect that he probably did ask for her opinion before he tried anything. He's already told me that there's no way he's going to risk Diana wanting to leave him and so I would say that he knows that honesty and forthrightness are the best policy. Of course, I realize I might be being overly suspicious."

"You could be right. I know my mother and she would go along with your dad's scheme so long as we were attracted to each other. She wouldn't try to force us together if there was no attraction, but sitting us beside each other to see if there was would be something I could see her agreeing to."

"No, my dad, would never force us together as that's not in his nature," James said. "However, having us meet to see if the attraction is there is something that he would definitely do. I won't say I wasn't attracted to the other women he tried to set me up with, but it certainly wasn't as strong as with you and although we dated for a couple of weeks it never worked out, something always happened that made me formally break up with them."

"I'll bet that didn't go well, as a lot of Alphas don't like it when an Omega breaks up with them, even if it's done correctly, traditionally," Rhian suggested.

"Most accepted it with good grace, although there was one..." James said leaving the sentence hanging.

"I can guess very well that one of them didn't want to let you go, even when you broke up with them using formal phrasing," Rhian said dryly.

"I had to finally tell her that my father was a high-ranking member of the FBI and wouldn't take it very well if his son came to harm by an Alpha female who didn't know when to give up. I was lucky and I know it," James said. "While I can defend myself, as dad made sure of that, all his children have good defensive skills, doing so against an Alpha is not a good idea unless there's no other choice."

"Yes, we all know that some Alphas would seek revenge, against someone they believe they have a right to dominate," Rhian said.

"And some of them have rather prickly pride," James said

"Yes, some Alphas can get offended at every little thing, especially if it's by someone they consider weaker then they are," Rhian agreed easily.

"Which would be almost all the population, except other Alphas who were as strong and intimidating as they were," James suggested cynically.

"I hope you realize that I'm not like that," Rhian said.

"So far," James said a little cynically. "I don't want to insult you or anything and I won't deny I like you a lot, but I still want to be careful until I am sure."

"Okay," Rhian said finally. "I can understand it from your point of view. Not all Alphas are very nice or kind or they seem that way and then change once they get what they want."

"Good, I'm glad you didn't take offense," James said breathing a slight sigh of relief. "Still, I believe that dad tried to set me up with you and he's usually a good judge of character, so I won't have to be as cautious as I would be otherwise, because dad would never try to set me up with someone that was just going to run roughshod over what I wanted."

"I started to, but then realized it was a genuine concern," Rhian said. "I'm well aware that a lot of Alphas out there that would try to take advantage of someone they see as weaker then themselves and in that way we're very like humans. I mean at my age I can hardly be innocent and naïve, I know the way the world works."

What Rhian didn't say was that a lot of people were fairly innocent and naïve, even when they were in their 30s, but she definitely wasn't one of them, as she had learned at an early age that people could betray you in any number of ways thanks to her father William Reid. Rhian often envied those young people who'd had sheltered childhood and were loved by both their parents instead of just one of them. On the other hand, there were certain disadvantages to being sheltered, as that often led you to being innocent to the way the world really was. Children that were sheltered often learned that people could be cruel and callous, unthinking of others feelings and any of a number of other things. They often learned harsh lessons on the fact that people were not always good, kind, of honest and would often take advantage of you for their own purposes if you didn't watch out for that kind of thing.

"Yes, we are very like the other species that share this planet with us in a number of ways," said James, "at least when it comes to our emotions and reactions to things. We look human to for the most part, so I suppose it makes sense that our emotions are the same as theirs."

The two chatted for a few minutes and then James asked, "Don't you need to get back to Las Vegas? I mean you have a business to run."

"No, I don't really need to get back," Rhian answered. "I have a very good second-in-command who knows what will happen if he tries to betray me. I pay him a very good salary, so he has no reason to do anything except what I want. I trust him, as I've known him ever since I was a child. If you're trying to get rid of me, it isn't going to work."

"That's not what I meant," James promised, as fiddled with his drink glass. The two of them had been talking in a quiet little café that James knew. "I promised to give a relationship between us a chance and I don't ever go back on my word, unless I find out I've been conned into promising something or betrayed. If things don't work out it's because we're not suitable to be anything other then good friends, as it won't be for lack of trying to make things work between us on my part."

Rhian nodded at this satisfied and the two continued talking quietly, as they finished their drinks. They paid the bill and then she and James went to their separate cars.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

"Our matchmaking seems to be going rather well," Dave told Diana smiling.

He watched his son and Rhian as they simply talked to each other soon side-by-side out on the porch he'd had built onto the house several years ago. It was subtle, but it was clear that the two of them were a couple and were pretty close. He wouldn't be surprised if they had been courting ever since that dinner party he and Diana had thrown several months back. If that was the case though, neither had said a word to him or to Diana, but then neither one of them likely would, until they were sure if it was going anywhere or not.

James at least may even suspect that he had set him up with Rhian, since he had done so in the past. If he did his son hadn't said a word to him about his habit of trying to set him up with Alpha females. Still, Dave was nearly positive he had hit the jackpot this time.

"Yes, it does," Diana agreed, as she leaned into Dave's side proudly wearing the collar he had given her. She wore it all the time, except when she was actually in bed, as it wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in.

"So you can tell that they're seeing each other?" Dave asked and Diana nodded her head smiling.

"I can, even if it's very subtle. I know my daughter better then she probably thinks I do," Diana said continuing to smile. "Rhian, wouldn't be sitting so close to James if they weren't dating at least, as there would be more space between the two of them. She's practically sitting on his lap and I'm sure she would be if they were alone."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't been dating since a day or two after the dinner party we threw for the holiday," Dave offered.

"No, that wouldn't shock me either, because we both noticed how attracted they were to each other, even if they tried to deny it," Diana said.

"It was very obvious at the time," Dave decided. "I'm sure all the adults noticed, especially the team."

"I know my son did, because he kept throwing them looks. He was really pleased actually, as he's wanted his sister to settle down for years," Diana said. "Spencer's always believed that Rhian would be the first and likely the only one to settle down. It's not that he didn't believe he might find someone someday that would accept him for who he was, he just didn't hold out much hope of it. He knew even way back when he was a young man the way the world worked and how a lot of Alphas would reject him because he wasn't raised in a traditional manner. We both know that I did the best I could to raise him in our ways, but there are certain things that need to be passed along by the father to their sons. He turned out much better than I had a right to expect considering what Will's leaving did to Spencer in particular."

"What your ex-husband did was a shame and a sin," Dave said his tone disgusted. "How any father could treat any of their children differently just because ones an Omega and the others an Alpha is beyond me. Well, there's no point in bringing up such a sore subject, as you know my opinion of the Senior Reid."

"Boy do I," Diana snorted, although she was smiling. "I happen to agree with you as you made me see things in a much clearer light. I never thought about the fact that what he did should have seen him shunned at the very least among Alphas and Omegas."

"Which would've lessened his client base considerably I'm sure," Dave said in a malicious tone. "I'm sure he has some Alphas and Omegas as clients. If they'd heard about how he treated his own children and how he left you for no real reason, they wouldn't want him as their lawyer. After all, there were certain standards that most Alphas and Omegas abide by and your ex-husband abandoning his family without providing support in anyway for no real reason, like if you had cheated on Will for example, would have outraged most of them. If his clients who were our kind had found out how he treated his son like an outcast simply because he was an Omega well..."

"Yes, I see that now, which is something I should've seen much sooner, as I was raised in a traditional manner," Diana agreed. "I should have broken the bond between us when I noticed how he treated Spencer, as that would have been a legit reason for me to do so. Any Alpha that treats their children like crap you shouldn't stay with, just because you want to give your kids a father and a mother. I know a lot of humans don't care or don't notice how their children are being treated by one parent, but the same isn't true for our race, mostly anyway."

"I agree with everything you just said and I think it's sad that some parents care more about maintaining their marriage then how their kids are treated by their spouse. Alright, I can understand wanting the kids to have both parents, but if one parent is being abusive, no matter what kind and you can't get them to see that what they're doing is wrong then I would separate from the parent that is doing so until they see reason. If they don't then you break the bond between you. Spencer might not have been physically abused, but what his father did left a lot of deep emotional wounds. Still, I'm well aware it often doesn't work like that, even if you want it to," Dave said

"So how do you think the relationship between James and Rhian is going to end?" Diana asked changing the subject back to what they had been talking about originally.

"Well, I'm hoping, it will lead to them mating and from what I have observed for myself, just in the last few minutes, I would say that's a very strong possibility at least," Dave said not minding the change of subject knowing that they had discussed Diana's previous life enough.

"I hope you're right, because I want to see Rhian settle down like Spencer has," Diana said. "It's not so much that I want more grandchildren either, since I'm busy enough with our three boys."

Dave grinned happily at being reminded that he had three new sons who he simply adored. It wasn't even the fact that they were all boys, just the fact that he was finally a father again that made him so happy. If he had gotten all girls he would've been just as happy, but he was certainly glad he had gotten some more sons. He missed them fiercely whenever he was gone for work, but knew that Diana would look after them along with the nanny that had been hired. He knew that his mates two children absolutely adored their half siblings and spent as much time with them as possible.

They had found an Omega through an agency that was more than willing to carry triplets. Dave had done things properly and made sure the Omega signed a legal agreement that said that she had no legal right to the babies. In return, she would be paid double the usual amount that other surrogates got paid for each child. The surrogate made a cool 50 grand after taxes and that didn't even include her medical bills or the extra food and medicine that she'd had to take.

Jelene Shaman was an Omega who had lost her mate while her children were still quite young, due to him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jelene had been desperate to put food on the table as she was a stay home mom with no outside income and knowing that her mate's money that he had made while working would not last long at all as she had three small children to look after.

She did not want to start dating again just to find another mate as she was still grieving, but she was desperate for a solution. She had then seen an advertisement in the newspaper about surrogates and how a lot of people were desperate to have children they couldn't due to some circumstance that prevented it.

Apparently, surrogates were in high demand and Jelene knew that she was young enough to be able to carry quite a few children to term, though she wouldn't do it, but every other year, as she would need time to recover from each pregnancy. It had been a good arrangement, as all her medical and food bills were met and she was paid $25,000 every time she carried twins for other people though never triplets, except her own.

$25,000 went a long way so long as she was careful and it also meant that she could spend plenty of time with her children, because she didn't have a 9 to 5 job. 25,000 was a nice pay day and she only had to carry any children for six months instead of nine like it was for humans. Diana had liked her immediately as she hadn't let hardship make her bitter, since she had lost her mate just a few short years after their children were born.

Jelene's children were young enough when their father was killed that they would have no more than vague memories of him, which was a shame but unfortunately, it happened sometimes. Dave had done a background check on Jelene just to be safe and she had come back clean, so it was agreed that she would receive $50,000 when the babies were born, plus all her bills would be met. It was a very good arrangement for everybody involved and all of them were very happy with the agreement. It was decided that Jelene would be carrying any other children they wanted to have, because they really liked her for one thing, as she was honest, which was a big thing with the Rossis. All the other possible applicants that they had met were okay, but they just hadn't clicked with any of them like they had Jelene. They would've used one of them if necessary, but luckily, they had gotten along with Jelene immediately

All in all, it was a very expensive venture, but well worth it in Dave's opinion. He was actually considering if he and Diana were going to do it again. They had agreed to twice, but at the moment his sons were infants, so it could wait awhile.

"It's just that I want my daughter to be as happy as I am with you or Spencer is with Emily. I know what being lonely is like, although I wasn't at first of course, but as the years progressed..."

"No, it took you time to get over the shock of your ex-mate's betrayal for one thing," Dave agreed although the disdain in his voice was very obvious to Diana. "That would've taken a year or two or longer depending on how much love and affection you had for each other and also how much free time you had to think about it. You also had your children and your job to keep you busy so you wouldn't have been lonely for some time. Still, you would've realized you were lonely eventually, even if that was a decade later."

Diana didn't disagree because Dave was quite right.

"Do you think that either one of them realizes they were set up?" Diana asked finally.

"James likely does, as I've told you before," Dave admitted. "As for Rhian I don't know her well enough to say."

"Well, James knows you did try to play matchmaker for him in the past, so he's likely realized that you sat the two of them together at Christmas dinner for a reason. I will say that Rhian probably does too and if not James probably told her what he suspects," Diana said.

"That's possible," Dave agreed.

"I wonder if they realize that they're letting us know that they are dating at least if not courting," Diana said, as she observed her stepson and daughter.

"If they have been together since Christmas and are still seeing each other then I'm sure they're courting by now," Dave said grinning smugly. "From what I know of my stepdaughter she's not one to let such an opportunity pass her by, though James would have to agree of course."

"No, she's not, especially since they're both strongly attracted to each other," Diana said smiling. "I know they tried to hide it at dinner, but they were unsuccessful. I won't be unhappy if this turns into a permanent thing."

"Considering we set them up I would say not," Dave chuckled, kissing his mate's cheek. "I want both our children to be happy as well and you know it. It's not always easy to find a mate and strong Alpha females often have more trouble then us males do."

"No, it's not always easy," Diana agreed with real feeling. "But I think I got incredibly lucky, the second time anyway."

They both fell silent as they watched their children talk quietly sitting very close together while they did and both sincerely hoped that their matchmaking attempt would end with their children mating and then having children of their own next time Rhian went into heat, but they would have to wait and see.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"You set me up," James mock accused his father. "You set me beside Rhian at dinner during the holidays."

It was several months later and well into the new year. Rhian and James and been officially courting for several months and just agreed to make it permanent, though no one knew that except for them quite yet.

"Why does it matter if I did or not?" Dave asked his son calmly knowing that James wasn't really upset. In fact, he was very happy if he was any judge, which likely meant that he and Rhian were getting along splendidly and perhaps had already mated.

"You were trying to play matchmaker yet again when you had failed several times before," James told him, but with a distinct twinkle in his brown eyes.

"What if I was?" Dave shrugged unconcerned. "All I did was sit you beside Rhian to see if you two were attracted to each other. If you hadn't been I certainly wouldn't have pushed you together and neither would Diana. All I did was give you two the chance to meet and what happened after that was up to you and Rhian."

James finally gave up the act and smiled. "Well, I have to admit you hit the jackpot this time."

"Does that mean that the two of you are going to stay together?" Diana who had been silent asked brightening.

"That's what it means," James confirmed smiling brightly. "We've already mated actually, but she had something to take care of quickly in Vegas and she's sorry that she couldn't come with me to tell you."

"Something go wrong with her business?" Diana asked an instant concern.

"Not her business no. One of her employees ended up in the hospital," James explained. "She's an Omega and somebody attacked her when she was on her way home. She usually walks in order to save money, even though she's paid well, but then, she also lives close by, just a few blocks away. The police have already discovered that it was an Alpha that was turned away from working there, because not only did she not have the proper education she also didn't have the right type of personality."

"So she's like Keating, Mandell, Aimes?" Dave asked. "So arrogant that she took offense at being turned away for a position, even though she doesn't have the proper education?"

"Yeah, she was all arrogant and sure of herself in the interview, according to Rhian. She does a lot of interviewing herself, as the company is still small enough that she helps out where she can. She did it formally and politely, but it was clear from the way this lady reacted that he took offense, though probably not as much of one as she could have, as Rhian is an Alpha. Rhian has said that she wouldn't have hired her, even if she had the right education, as she would have just done her best to bully anyone she considered weaker, probably try to take credit for anybody else success and threaten anyone to stay silent when she stole someone else's idea unless she beat them within an inch of their lives. I have to admit that Rhian seems to have her finger on the pulse of her company and this woman never would've gotten away with that sort of behavior for long. She's not some unapproachable figure like most business owners or at least those that run those businesses for others. Yes, some friction in the workplace is always going to be present, but there would've been constant conflict if she had been hired."

"She's always been that way," Diana said with a proud smile. "She's a lot like her brother actually and knows better how people tick then most others. The kind of personality you're talking about would do their best to ruin whoever she worked with, that she considered beneath her."

"So how long will this Omega be in the hospital?" Dave asked his son.

"A few days at least, as her injuries are quite severe with several broken bones. Now, she's not as bad as I heard Rhian's brother was when he was attacked, as she's in no danger of dying or anything, but she is in a lot of pain just because Ms Channa Mayhew couldn't accept you don't have the right qualifications to be hired for an answer," James said watching, as even his father winced at his description.

His father was no softy, but that didn't mean he couldn't have sympathy for someone who had done nothing to deserve being beaten up so badly that they had several broken bones. Much like Spencer, this Omega, had done absolutely nothing to be beaten up so badly as far as anyone was aware of, just done her job.

"So what's this Omega's name? I was thinking I could send her some flowers, even if she has no idea who I am," Diana asked.

"Klarrisa Maher," James supplied. "I think it's really nice of you to want to send this lady flowers considering all you know is her name."

"She was still injured by somebody that was turned away for a job and I'm sure Rhian feels responsible, as she's the one that turned her away in the first place, even if it was for all the right reasons. Some people just don't want to accept that they were turned away from something they want no matter how politely it was done." Dave told his son. "So how did this Mayhew find this Klarrisa Maher worked for Rhian's company."

"The police are still investigating dad," James said and Dave nodded. "She could have been spying on the people that came and went taking pictures with her phone for example. It wouldn't have been that hard to find out who they were after that. You know that most people don't pay attention when they're hurrying somewhere so Mayhew would have likely been able to take pictures as much as she wanted without being noticed."

"It wouldn't have been that hard to hack into their computer system either unless they had some kind of preventive measures and even then it's not impossible," Dave said. "For all we know this Mayhew might have had some good hacking skills or she might have some friends that do."

"And since when do you know so much about computers?" Diana asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"You can thank a certain technical analyst for my knowledge," Dave laughed kissing her on the cheek affectionately. "I know a lot more about electronics in general, because of Mrs. Penelope Garcia Morgan, ever since I rejoined the BAU. We didn't have such things when I first started the unit, but now, they're necessary considering that technology and criminal behavior are changing every year. Criminals in general are getting smarter and more savvy. Not all of them of course, as some are very easy to catch, but the BAU doesn't usually go after those types as we leave those to the normal police."

Diana nodded at this, as she had met all of the team and while they had all impressed her Penelope or Penny as she preferred to be called had impressed her the most. She was just as intelligent as her son, except with computers and other technology rather then with information and obscure facts. She had wished more than once since meeting her that her son was as outgoing as Penny was, but the two were the exact opposites in that way, as Spencer was an introvert while Penny was an extrovert.

"I agree with your idea to send this poor woman some flowers, as she certainly didn't deserve to be beaten up and it's clear this Mayhew has no respect for people in general, except perhaps other Alphas. Of course, that's not to say, she won't beat up males as well if she gets a chance as she likely feels that she was denied a position that she deserves. Likely, in her mind, she thinks he deserves everything she wants without actually trying to earn it or at least she thinks she's earned whatever position she was implying for and therefore, was insulted when she was turned away. At the least she doesn't see why she was turned away, while everyone else, except perhaps, other Alphas are beneath her, which is much like Aimes in particular thought. She might respect Rhian because she's an Alpha, but then, she might also not respect her, because she's not a bully and treats her employees with respect instead of inducing fear. I can't say for sure unless I was to interview this Mayhew, but still, that's the likely possibility. Unfortunately, our kind can go to the bad or at least grow up with exaggerated ideas of what they deserve with little or no effort on their parts. It's possible something went wrong in her head or she could've always been like that."

"I'm glad that Klarrisa Maher is going to be alright," Diana said with compassion in her tone.

"I am too. Rhian is going to pay her a visit and promise that all her medical bills will be met since she got beat up by someone that had applied for a job but was turned down."

"That's really generous of her," Dave said obviously impressed.

"Rhian, is a very generous person," Diana said. "She doesn't necessarily have to pay all this lady's medical bills, but it's certainly very nice of her to do so."

"This will make Miss Maher indebted to her as well and likely make her work even harder than she has been because she's so grateful," Dave said.

"So is her mate Duane," James said. "He was at work as well, when he was contacted about his wife's attack. You can imagine that he wanted to go after to Ms. Mayhew, but let it go, when he realized the police were involved and that it was being taken care of."

"He has every right to kill Mayhew for the attack on his mate, especially since like Spencer, there was absolutely no reason to do so other than her pride, at least not that any of us know about anyway. Rhian turning the woman away because of his poor qualifications is not a reason to attack some of the employees that work for the company in a quest for revenge."

"So to change the subject to something more pleasant are there any children in your future?" Diana asked at a natural pause in the conversation.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," James said. "Our mating is only days old, so I think we can put off the subject of children for a few months at least, maybe a year or so."

"Personally, I think that's sensible," Dave said and Diana nodded. "They need time to find a house as Rhian doesn't even live in the area and James only has an apartment. It will take time for Rhian to do what you did and move all her possessions to this area unless James decides to move to Vegas instead."

"We have already decided that Rhian is moving to Washington with me and yes, we will be looking for a house. Rhian is really looking forward to moving into this area because this is where her family is now. Before she at least had her mother in Vegas with her while her brother moved across the country. Now that the two of you have mated she's the last of her family in the area, well, besides, her father that live in the area. However, considering she wants nothing to do with her father I think it's just as well that she leaves Vegas entirely."

"She likely would've done so years ago if not for me," Diana sighed. "She stayed more for me than for herself, as she could've started a business anywhere."

"Well now, she has no reason to stay and she can always travel back to check on her business every once in awhile to make sure it's running smoothly. I know it involves a lot of traveling, but James can always go with whenever he has a day or two off. Besides, it's not going to be as much traveling as I do with the BAU," Dave said.

"That's the plan," James agreed. "Don't worry so much Diana, kids will come, maybe in a year or so once we've truly settled somewhere."

"I'm not worried, I'm just anxious for some more grandchildren that's all," Diana said smiling. "I never thought Rhian would settle down and not because she didn't want to."

"I would think you would have enough to do with my three newest brothers," James mentioned smiling.

"I do, though I make sure I still spend plenty of time with my the rest of my family," Diana replied. "I'm certainly seeing more of my son, Emily and especially my grandchildren now, then I have in years, ever since Spencer moved to this area of the country actually. It's a busy life, but it's no less satisfying for all that and I have to find someway to keep busy when Dave's gone anyway. Spending time with my grandchildren, especially the three newest addition fits the bill. Of course, I realize that if my son hadn't moved here once he got a job, he never would've met Emily and I never would've met Dave and that would have been horrible."

"Yes, it would have been," Dave immediately agreed actually shuddering at that possibility, as he hadn't been so happy in decades and he knew that he wouldn't be, if not for Diana and also his children that had been born through surrogacy, such a short time ago.

"I think it's good for her to spend time with her grandchildren and she usually ends up taking our sons along so that they can get to know their cousins," Dave explained changing the subject.

"Of course, I can't take all of them out on outings at the same time as there is just too many of them and most of them are really too young for that right now anyway," Diana added.

"That's what the nannies are for," Dave reminded Diana. "Between Spencer, Emily and us there are three different nannies. They'll be glad to help and if you wanted to take them somewhere, like to the park then at least one of the nannies could go along."

"I know. I hate to ask them as they need the time off to," Diana said. "Taking care of so many small children is not easy."

"That's what they're paid for and yes, they deserve time off, but I also don't want you overdoing it. There's no way you can handle 8 small children by yourself. I might wish I was here to help you more, but even if I was we would still need the help of at least one of the nannies sometimes."

"You're right," Diana conceded. "We'll just have to make sure that they do get days off regularly."

"We will," Dave said. "When the kids are a bit older they'll have more time to themselves then they do right now, but with all of them so young, some concessions are just going to have to be made or they're not right for the job. They likely knew this before they were hired so I doubt they'll complain, as that might lose them their position."

"Rhian can help as well, because she'll likely have the most free time unless she decides to start up another branch of her company," James said. "You know she'll be delighted to help look after her nieces and nephew."

"Now there is a thought," Diana said her face lighting up. "It also means I get to spend more time with my daughter, which is certainly no hardship."

"We'll work something out, as that's the way it works in our type of families when there are a lot of children involved," Dave said. "You only had two, because your mate left you and he also didn't seem interested in having anymore. Me, on the other hand, will be delighted to have a few more once the ones we have are at least four or five years old, as they'll at least be potty trained by then and easier to handle."

"They also start school at five, which will at least get them out of the house for a few hours," James said.

"Which means, that it's the perfect time, to have a few more, as they're not so much of a handful then," Diana said. "I think that's what we should do wait until they're ready to start kindergarten before having anymore."

"I would think having my three brothers would be more than enough," James said.

"You just wait son, until you have children with Rhian," Dave shot back smiling. "Your opinion will very likely change then."

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you, for introducing me to Rhian," James said changing the subject.

"You're quite welcome," Diana told James smiling. "I've wanted my daughter to settle down for a long time and Dave of course has wanted the same thing for you. I'm glad our matchmaking worked so well."

"Be prepared for a party after Rhian is done in Vegas," Dave added. "We'll somehow work it into our schedules, because I wanted to introduce all my friends and associates to my new daughter-in-law."

"Same goes for me, though most of my friends are back in Vegas and I haven't been here long enough to really make anymore," Diana said. "Still, I keep busy enough and Dave and I spend as much time together as possible whenever he's home."

"That's the way it should be," James said and Dave nodded in complete agreement. "Yes, a party sounds like fun, though I don't know what Rhian will think."

"She'll go along with it," Diana told James. "She's not shy, but then, Alphas aren't. She might not like every aspect that goes on in gatherings like that, but she'll still manage to enjoy herself. I'm sure she'll keep you out on the dance floor for most of the night, just to keep away from people that just have to talk to her."

"I'll only invite those that will come and enjoy themselves," Dave promised. "I won't have any that just want to talk business or politics or try to get donations for some cause of theirs, as I do know some people like that."

"I'll tell Rhian, next time I talk to her," James promised, "so she can be prepared."

"That's a good idea," Diana said. "That way she's not caught by surprise."

"This is not the type of thing you can surprise someone with, as guests need time to get dressed in the appropriate outfits and do whatever they need to get ready," Dave said.

"That's a good point," James said smiling. "I'm looking forward to it."

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"This was really nice of you to arrange," Rhian told her stepfather.

"It was nothing," Dave said smiling kissing his stepdaughter's or technically, his daughter-in-law's cheek.

"I ought to scold you at the very least for playing matchmaker," Rhian said, "but since I'm so happy I won't do so, so you got lucky."

"I didn't really play matchmaker and neither did your mother," Dave denied. "Not technically anyway. All me and your mother did was sit you beside each other doing Christmas dinner and the rest was all on you. If you and James hadn't been attracted to each other then that would've been okay but we were both hoping you would be. All either one of us did was give you the opportunity to meet."

"I suppose you could look at it like that," Rhian admitted, as she looked out at all the people that were had come to the party her mother and stepfather had arranged.

"Both Diana and I just want you and James to be happy and so long as you're happy together then that's perfectly okay with the two of us," Dave said. "It hurt me, to see my only son, at that time struggle to find someone to settle down with where he could be happy. Both me and your mother know that finding a mate is not always easy and sometimes mistakes are made."

"Like mom made with dad," Rhian said looking rather melancholy.

"You can't really blame your mother for that as she was young at the time and your father had her fooled. At first the marriage was very happy and although I know it hurts you it started to change after you and your brother were born. Neither Diana or I are sure if he had a psychotic break or part of his personality that your mother was unaware of was emerging. There could be any number of reasons that your father abandoned the family, not that that makes it right, because it's not. I'm sure you know that people are complicated, and you can't truly get to know someone over such a short amount of time as most people date or court in our kinds case. You might think you know someone really well and then you'll be shocked when a part of somebody's personality suddenly emerges what seems out of the blue, but something almost always triggers it. It could be something simple like somebody said something within that person's hearing that is taken in the wrong way or something more major like an event."

"So you think that the birth of me and Spencer caused dad to change," Rhian said slowly.

"It's possible. It could be something simple like he didn't like the competition that he had for your mother's affections after your births. Your mother would've been busy taking care of you when she wasn't working and your father might just have felt that he wasn't getting enough attention from his mate. Instead of handling this more maturely, like by helping your mother to take care of you, so they could spend time together he could have reacted by getting jealous."

"That does make some sense," Rhian murmured thoughtfully. "It does make dad's reaction make a little more sense now from what I can remember but that doesn't mean that he did right."

"Of course not, you know the disdain I have for William Reid. I think he's a lousy excuse for an Alpha. Alphas are not supposed to be jealous of their own children nor are they supposed to treat them differently just because ones an Omega and the other's an Alpha. It happens unfortunately, but it shouldn't. I know that our race just like humans are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't mean it doesn't disgust me that your father treated you and your brother differently."

"I truly wish I'd had a father like you," Rhian said kissing her stepfather on the cheek.

"I wish you and Spencer had too, sweetie," Dave said smiling. "Unfortunately, that's not the way it works out a lot of times, even if you want it to. I made many mistakes with my first mate Carolyn and got so involved in building the BAU that I didn't pay her the attention she deserved. If there's one thing I've learned over the years is that nobody Alphas, Omegas or humans for that matter like to feel neglected, especially females. They like to know that they're important to whoever they're married to and I forgot that very important lesson. I can't really blame Carolyn for leaving, though I was devastated at the time, but now, I'm much older than I was back then and I understand much better what happened between the two of us. I won't claim its all my fault because it's not, as Carolyn and I didn't communicate and she never told me that she was feeling like I didn't care."

"It takes two to make a relationship work, which is something I know just from my parents marriage. I can't remember my dad ever truly participating in the marriage and my mother was expected to do everything including taking care of us and everything else she had going on, teaching taking care of the house. It wasn't like that at first and it was only after me and Spence were born I think that dad started to change at least that's what mom has said," Rhian said.

"And you have a hard time believing that," Dave suggested gently.

"I really don't know what to believe," Rhian admitted.

"That's not surprising," Dave said, as he gently put an arm around his stepdaughter's shoulder. "All sentient beings are very complicated as I said earlier and they're often hard to figure out. Right now, I want you to concentrate on enjoying this party. Go dance with James, spend time with your mother and your brother. I can't tell you to never think about your father again, because we are a sentient species and a lot of times we tend to dwell on things that bother us no matter how much we try to put them away. However, at least put those worries away for a few hours, so you can truly enjoy yourself without memories of your father interfering. William Reid certainly didn't deserve to have two such intelligent children, because he certainly didn't appreciate you or your brother."

"I'm glad that you and mom met," Rhian said finally. "You make her so happy and I was well aware that she'd been lonely for a long time."

"She makes me very happy too," Dave said and Rhian smiled at him.

"James makes me very happy as well even though I know that technically, we are siblings."

"Stepsiblings, which don't matter to our kind," Dave said.

"I know," Rhian agreed. "There is no blood relationship, so it's okay for us to fall in love and mate. James didn't agree at first and we had an argument about it. I won, but it was still a struggle."

"Let me guess, James told you that the two of you could not be together, because you were now related, even if that was through the mating of ma and Diana," Dave said knowing his son. This was not how any of his children had been raised, but he also knew that humans could be of great influence on their kind as well. James had been living in Washington and most if not all of his close friends were humans who would have had an influence on him, probably without him even realizing it. Many things that humans considered wrong, his kind did not and that included getting together with somebody you were related to so long as there was no actual shared blood.

"That's exactly what he thought," Rhian chuckled. "I got him to see though that the humans were unduly influencing how he thought. He finally realized that the humans he was friends with had influenced his upbringing. I reminded him that who was going to know that we were stepsiblings unless we told anyone? The only people that know are those that won't mind and those that you are close to."

"Well, I'm glad you got him to see reason," Dave chuckled.

"It wasn't easy and he fought me on it, but I won in the end and he eventually saw my point of view," Rhian chuckled.

"Unfortunately, humans can unduly influence us, which I think is why so many of our kind, mostly the Alphas misbehave, even if they were raised in a traditional manner," Dave chuckled

"Yeah, I know. When I pointed that out to him and he finally saw that he had led his human friends influence what he had been taught. That was when he agreed to give a relationship between us a try at least," Rhian said. "It might not have worked out, but in this case it did."

"Just because you are attracted doesn't necessarily mean that you have anything else in common or at least not enough to make it work," Dave said. "Now, I want you to get out there and dance with James, eat some of the food and just enjoy yourself, as that's why Diana and I put this little party together. We can talk more later."

"You know that's a very good idea," Rhian chuckled in a very good mood. "I think I'll go interrupt James from his feeding frenzy and drag him out onto the dance floor."

"You go right ahead," Dave chuckled. "Before you go though how's Klarrisa?"

"She's doing much better, though she won't be able to return to work for a while due to her broken bones. Mayhew's actually very lucky that she was arrested because Klarrisa's mate would have gone after her otherwise. Her mate Duane is big and burly, but a really nice guy so long as you don't attack anyone he cares for. He can take care of himself much like you can. He was all set to go hunt down Ms. Mayhew and murder her, something that he had every right to do, just like you did to those that attacked my brother for no reason. What made it worse is it turns out that Klarrisa was pregnant at the time, although she was only a few weeks along. She could have lost her babies, but luckily, she didn't. She and her babies are fine according to the doctor."

"That's good, I'm glad nothing happened to the babies she was carrying, as that would've been even more tragic," Dave said.

"Yes it would have been, had anything happened to the twins she was carrying Duane would've demanded justice, so Ms. Mayhew had better consider herself very fortunate. If she does come after Klarrisa again once she is released then nothing will stop Duane from protecting her or their children if she went after them again for revenge."

"That's the way it should be, even if I know a lot of humans don't agree with our laws," Dave said firmly. "So long as there is ample proof that the Alpha or Omega has done something to harm one of our kinds family or someone else they care about. Without proof then it would be a crime."

"Yes, I agree that no stint in prison is going to change an Alpha's mind, as they are mostly to stubborn in their beliefs," Rhian said. "Klarrisa, wanted me to thank you and my mother for the beautiful arrangement that you sent to her. I had to explain who they were from and that they were very sorry that that had happened to someone who had not done Ms. Mayhew any wrong. They had never even met actually. No, Mayhew chose Klarrisa, because she was a supposedly a weak target when she was heading home to her family. I don't think that Miss Mayhew had any intention of murdering her victims, but she certainly could have caused Klarrisa to lose the babies she was carrying."

"Yes, she could have," Dave said soberly. "You know it's kind of amazing to me that this happened so soon after what happened to Spencer, even if it's in two totally different states that are thousands of miles apart."

"It's just a coincidence, Dave," Rhian offered. "Bad things happen in every city in the world, although I admit, it's rather unusual that both times it involved in some way someone in our family. I know I wasn't the victim this time like my brother was, but it still someone that is connected to me through my business. Let's just forget about it and enjoy ourselves. If I'm going to dance with James then you need to ask mom to dance as well. This is supposed to be a happy occasion after all."

Dave chuckled because his stepdaughter was very right.

"You're right, I think I'll go asked Diana to dance," Dave said smiling. "I'm very happy for you and James, so it was my pleasure to throw this little gathering for you and Diana really enjoyed putting it together.

"I know mom hasn't had much to be happy about in a long time and then she met you," Rhian said. "She's changed so much just in the short time I've known you so thank you for making her so happy."

"It was my pleasure I promise you," Dave said smiling, as he spotted Diana talking to her son over at the buffet that had been set up. "I haven't had as much to be happy about either, not in decades, so it's hardly one-sided."

Rhian nodded at that and she and her stepfather headed towards their mates so they could get out on the dance floor.

Despite what had happened fairly recently to Spencer, life at the moment was very good.


End file.
